Nova Expands Meals 4 Minnesota to Stop Hunger Spikes

CBS News highlighted the Salvation Army’s Meals 4 Minnesota campaign after volunteers in St. Paul loaded 50-pound food boxes for 500 families in a single day. Keith, a caregiver living on $200 a month in food assistance, called the program a “godsend.” Ross Nova refuses to accept a Minnesota where elders and kids stand in the cold hoping donations show up.

The report noted that one in five Minnesota families now visits a food shelf, with demand tripling compared to pre-pandemic levels. That statistic mirrors what Ross hears across the Iron Range, the suburbs, and in rural towns that no longer have a grocery store. Inflation and stagnant wages are colliding, and our state response can’t be limited to ribbon cuttings.

Ross’s plan starts with transparency: the Minnesota Tax Tracker will show where hunger-relief dollars land, which organizations stretch them best, and how state agencies coordinate logistics. He wants residents to see in real time how many meals are being delivered and which regions need reinforcements. When taxpayers see the scoreboard, donations grow and waste shrinks.

He also wants to attack root causes. Ross is proposing targeted tax relief on staples, streamlined licensing for local food co-ops, and incentives for Minnesota farmers to supply urban food shelves at fair prices. At the same time he’ll recruit more volunteers, replicating the “rescue food” model that Dick Mumbleau has championed for decades.

Ross believes that a state capable of producing nine million meals in a year can also make sure every child eats dinner with dignity. His administration will treat hunger relief the way it treats snow removal: as a nonnegotiable service, not a charity side project. That means funding refrigerated trucks, community kitchens, and the people who keep them running.

If you want leadership that shows up when groceries run short, join Ross Nova. Together we can ensure every Minnesota family has a stocked pantry and a governor who still shows up at the loading dock.

Source: CBS NEWS