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4/21/2025
I am happy to share that the Minneapolis City Council passed a zoning ordinance amendment that allows outdoor refrigerated food lockers to be placed outside food shelves and community facilities (2024-00950).
This ordinance is about removing unnecessary barriers and expanding access to food for those who need it most—when they need it most. This effort began last year, when we met with Community Emergency Service (CES), a trusted food shelf provider serving many of our neighbors right here in Ward 6. They brought forward an innovative idea to install outdoor food lockers that could hold fresh, refrigerated items and be accessed securely using a QR code. CES is now the first organization in Minnesota—and likely the Midwest—to roll out this kind of refrigerated food locker system. It’s a model we hope will inspire other providers across the city and region.
 These lockers would allow families and individuals to pick up food at any time, including evenings and weekends—times when most food shelves are closed. But at that time, city zoning codes made it impossible to move forward. Regulations required these lockers to be housed inside a fully enclosed building—four walls and a roof—which ran directly counter to the goal of creating accessible, outdoor, 24/7 food access.
CES is now the first organization in Minnesota—and likely the Midwest—to roll out this kind of refrigerated food locker system. It’s a model we hope will inspire other providers across the city and region. Food insecurity is a growing crisis, with nearly 9 million food shelf visits expected in Minnesota this year alone. Many of the people visiting CES are single mothers, shift workers, and neighbors facing difficult choices every day. These lockers remove one more barrier—and help give people the flexibility to take care of their families and move forward with dignity.
I want to thank for their leadership, their persistence, and their dedication to meeting people where they are. Together, we’re building a city where no one has to choose between feeding their family and meeting the demands of daily life.
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