Hunger is at an all-time high right now. With high inflation and rising food costs, families are increasingly choosing between paying rent and buying food. Together with neighbors, volunteers and people like you, The Camden Collective is working to bridge that gap for the North Minneapolis community.
I met Anna Gerdeen two years ago when the Collective was in need of photos for its website. The Camden Collective was founded as an after-school tutoring program during the pandemic and in January 2021 a weekly food distribution was added.
Anna has built up a lot of relationships in the community and works what is likely close to non-stop to build on programming and Collective offerings. A former teacher, Anna loves working with youth and is building a paid mentorship program - as of now, she has 5 paid youth employees, ranging from 15-18 years old, these Northside students work 4-1/2 hours per week helping run the Collective. Recently, The Camden Collective received a grant to create a food shelf. Her dream is to build the new food shelf into an afterschool youth employment opportunity.
Every Saturday, from 1-3 pm, they facilitate a Food Share program where families come and choose healthy and appealing food at no cost to them. Their current monthly food budget has not increased in the past 12 months while the number of families they serve has TRIPLED. This has predictably led to a reduction in selection and quantity of food for neighborhood families.
If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up here.
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