Valley Outreach welcomes donations of food, personal care items and household paper products.
Valley Outreach welcomes donations of non-perishable, unopened food items all year long and fresh garden produce during the summer and fall. We also need personal care items and menstrual hygiene products to distribute to our shoppers. Please bring donations during our drive-up donation hours.
Drive-up donation hours:
Monday: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday / Thursday: 1:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Simply follow the signs and volunteer directions and drive through around the back of our building to our first loading dock. Please assist volunteers with unloading donations as you are able.
Top Food Shelf Needs
- Cash: Cash donations go a long way in purchasing food
- Spices and Oil: Salt/pepper, garlic, cumin, salad dressing, condiments, olive oil
- Canned Meats: Tuna, chicken, salmon, sardines
- Grains: Pasta, whole grain pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous
- Kid Snacks: Apple sauce pouches, single-serve crackers (e.g., Gold Fish, Cheez Its), granola bars
- Shelf Stable Items: Whole grain, hot or cold, kid-friendly cereal and ready-to-eat soup
- Cooking Essentials: Granulated sugar, brown sugar, gluten-free flours
- Hygiene & Menstrual Products: Soap, liquid hand soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, tampons, maxipads
Host a Drive
When you host a drive for Valley Outreach you help feed hungry people and provide other necessities to individuals and families. Some groups like to focus their drives on specific needs.
Check out our tool kit for guidelines for hosting a successful drive and to get started – linked below! If you have questions, contact Debbie at [email protected] or call 651-342-5569.
Donation Guidelines
- Sort through your donations before bringing them to Valley Outreach; do not donate open items or expired food items.
- Donate your cleaned and sorted garden gleaned produce; if you grew it, we can accept it as a donation. (Bring your extra squash, peppers, zucchinis, and tomatoes our way!)
- Do not donate frozen foods or perishable items you didn’t grow yourself.
Learn More About Hunger in Minnesota
Doing Good Together – Making a Food Drive Really Count
Helpful information for families and kids in discussing issues of hunger and ways to take action.
Hunger Solutions – Winning Minnesota’s Food Fight
Learn more about hunger issues in Minnesota and ways to support change.
SuperShelf – Transforming Food Shelves to Bring Good Food to All
Learn more about the innovative work being done in Minnesota to improve access to healthy food in our food shelves.
Helping with Food Donations
It’s easy to donate food to Valley Outreach. Simply swing by our drive-up during donation hours which is at the back of our building. If you have questions about hosting a food drive, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or give us a call at 651-430-2739.
