East Side Neighborhood Services

06/04/2026

ESNS is grateful to Sanya's Hope for Children for their help collecting and donating 1012 pounds of food to ESNS food programs! With their support, we will be providing non-perishables to support the families of ESNS's Shelf.

05/12/2026

Our friends at Las Estrellas Dual Immersion Elementary School in NE have big plans to improve their playground space and Broadway St. front yard and they are asking for NE neighbors’ help to make it happen 💛

Thanks to a recent grant, each grade will have its own raised garden bed providing students with a hands-on learning opportunity about where their food comes from.

Join Las Estrellas (1201 University Ave NE, Mpls) on May 16 to help build garden beds & prep for planting. Volunteer anytime between 8am–3pm—come early, come later, stay all day…whatever works for you! For more information reach out to Carin Peterson at [email protected] or Noret at [email protected]

05/06/2026

Are you looking for employment? ESNS is hosting a Job & Resource Fair with Hennepin County on May 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Check out the flyer for more information including employers that are attending. Note that applicants 55 and over are encouraged to attend!

03/30/2026

One week left! ESNS wants to thank everyone who has pitched in to get us to just under $4,500 raised so far for . Every dollar helps stock our shelves and ensures families in our community have access to healthy, nourishing food.

There’s still time to make an impact! Make a tax-deductible gift today. Together, we can make sure no one goes hungry.

https://www.givemn.org/story/9ck29g

03/24/2026

What a great turnout at Empty Bowls NE at ! We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this event a success from the Edison High School students and local potters who donated their pottery to the local restaurants donated food to complete the meal. Big shout out to the NE Mpls Empty Bowls committee and Sheridan Neighborhood Organization who supported the event with awesome volunteers. Can't wait for next year!

03/21/2026

Happening this weekend! Join ESNS for Empty Bowls NE on Sunday, March 22 from 10 am - 3 pm at (1712 Marshall St NE Suite 100, Mpls). Share a meal and raise awareness about hunger. Pay what you can - 100% of proceeds go to fight food insecurity in our community, including a portion to ESNS Senior Food Shelf.

03/20/2026

There is still time! If you are a member, March 31st is the deadline to direct your Thrivent Choice Dollars® to East Side. Click here to log in to your Thrivent portal: https://www.thrivent.com/about-us/membership/thrivent-choice

03/18/2026

Did you know? ESNS distributes food to thousands annually through our walk-in food shelves, mobile food shelf deliveries, and fresh produce distributions. Your donation allows us to purchase food in bulk stretching every dollar. $20 spent at the grocery store can contribute 5-6 single items to our shelves whereas $20 in bulk can help us purchase 1-2 entire cases of food.

Click here to donate for Food Share Month - and your gift will be matched! https://www.givemn.org/story/9ck29g
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03/16/2026

Donate to ESNS Food Programs in support of Food Share Month now through April 6 - and your gift will be matched! We will put your gift to work immediately to feed neighbors most in need!

Click here to give: https://www.esns.org/donate

Thanks to our food bank partners and , as well as local wholesale vendors such as FreshPoint and , our food shelves can purchase food at deeply discounted bulk prices compared to grocery store prices.

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03/13/2026

ESNS is proud to see our program coordinator John Mai featured in a recent Luther College alumni article. In the story, John shares how ESNS is expanding food access by removing barriers like transportation, language, and cost so that community members can access healthy, culturally familiar food. We’re grateful for the dedication of staff like John. 📖 Read the full article: https://www.luther.edu/magazine/articles/growing-together

Don't forget that March is Minnesota FoodShare month. Join in Minnesota's largest grassroots food and fund drive to fight food insecurity and poverty at the local level. Learn more and donate: https://www.esns.org/donate!

Collin Kern ’20, development coordinator with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), says, “We need food that people can actually eat, that people can make a living producing, that is going to be available and supportive of the places it’s being grown in.”