News
The Cycle of Giving
Bob Rosel’s journey from need to service
SNAP Directory is Now Available
Download The Mower County 2025 SNAP Directory today. Get the support you need Local agencies and resources to help you apply for and navigate SNAP benefits. SNAP Resource DirectoryMower County Obtenga el apoyo que necesita Agencias y recursos locales para ayudarle a...
Planting the Seeds of Literacy
The team behind The Read Seed is changing young lives through the power of books and early literacy.
Austin Daily Herald: New Mobile App Launches to Combat Food Insecurity in Mower County
The Hometown Food Security Project has launched an innovative mobile app designed to transform how our community addresses food insecurity. This tool connects all community members with food resources and volunteering opportunities, and collects critical data,...
SNAP Benefits: Understanding Current Research and Future Changes
By Ethan WattersDrastic changes may be on the horizon for SNAP—here's what you need to know.SThe landscape of food assistance programs is evolving, with changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) sure to affect our local community. Recent research...
A Decade Empowering Families and Students
By Alba Muñoz SaizAustin Aspires is building a stronger community through education and collaboration.When Jayne Gibson talks about the team behind Austin Aspires, her face lights up with pride. Whether helping a newcomer with school enrollment, mentoring a student,...
Quiet Dedication to Helping Austin’s Immigrant Community
Building bridges with heart, Varinh Van Vugt’s journey from newcomer to lifeline for Austin’s immigrant families.
Packing with Purpose: Students Lead the Way
In partnership with local organizations, the Hometown Food Security Project co-led the Nourishing Champions snack-packing event at Austin High School.
Providing More Than Education
Riverland Community College tackles food insecurity among its students in collaboration with the Hometown Food Security Project…
The Backpack Program Transforms Lives
A food lifeline for kids in Minnesota’s Mower County
A Community Unites to Understand and Fight Food Insecurity
A Work of Art 2024 In April, the SPAM® Museum opened its doors to the Austin community to celebrate and advance the efforts to address food insecurity in Mower County. At the event, "A Work of Art: Creating Food Security," hundreds of pieces of art created by Austin...
A Lifetime of Service to the Community
Major Jeff Strickler’s efforts to help fight hunger have touched thousands of lives in Mower County and beyond over his 40 years of service.
Austin Daily Herald: Student Exhibit Examined Food Insecurity Through Art
On Thursday evening, at the SPAM Museum, a special showing was held featuring the art of students at Austin Public Schools. The exhibit, “A Work of Art — Creating Food Security,” opened up the difficult question of food insecurity to students who examined the issue...
Helping to Feed the Community
Mary Weikum has a lifetime of knowledge about food insecurity.
The Coalition and Austin Bruins Host First Ever Hometown Food Security Night
The coalition debuted the inaugural Hometown Food Security Night on Thanksgiving evening with the Austin Bruins to a resounding success. The night was an opportunity for those in attendance to learn more about the hunger crisis in their own community, while also...
Salvation Army Thanksgiving Community Meal a Success
On Thanksgiving Thursday, the Salvation Army hosted its annual Thanksgiving dinner for the community. This year, with the coordination and support of our coalition, and with the Austin Bruins hockey team joining the effort, the dinner was a big success. The number of...
Coalition Members Attend ‘Together at the Table’ Baylor Summit
Our team had the opportunity to participate in the Together at the Table Summit in Waco, TX, hosted by the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty. The summit brings together many of the leading experts on food security for several days of collaboration and...
Hometown Food Security Project October Newsletter
From the beginning of this initiative, it was clear that there was no singular cause for food insecurity in Mower County and there would be no singular solution. We needed to understand all of the complex facets of the issue as well as all of the resources at hand....
Hometown Food Security Project Reaching Out to Rural Food Shelves
In honor of Hunger Action Month in September, HFSP donates time and financial resources to four local food shelves in Mower County’s rural communities. The Hometown Food Security Project is determined to end food insecurity in all of Mower County. While most of the...
Hometown Food Security Project Unveils New Office Location in Downtown Austin
The Hometown Food Security Project has a new home, and it has company. Joined by Austin Aspires and representatives from the United Way of Mower County Backpack Program, the HFSP and its partners unveiled their office location with a grand-opening event...
Sign Up for Mower County Hunger Action Teams
The Coalition has moved into a new phase of action, and we have created teams that are tackling various hunger reduction efforts, from big to small and short-term to long-term. We need your help to make the biggest possible impact! Please review an overview of action...
Austin Daily Herald: Food Security Initiative holds summit as kick-off toward sustained efforts
In one of its biggest moves to date, the Hometown Food Security Project initiative held a large-scale Hometown Food Security Community Work Session and Summit Wednesday morning at The Hormel Institute in order to take its next steps. The purpose of the meeting was to...
Community Action Planning: April 12 Food Security Forum
Join the Hometown Food Security Coalition for an in-person gathering on Wednesday, April 12 as we strategically assess the structure and procedures of local food delivery systems, review previously identified resources and gaps, make collaborative decisions for...
End of Emergency SNAP – Communications Toolkit
Via MN Department of Human Services During the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota received a waiver from the federal government to temporarily provide extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits known as Emergency SNAP, or E-SNAP. Federal officials...
Celebrity chef Carla Hall visits Hormel Foods Headquarters to highlight local food security project
And on Tuesday afternoon it received some high-powered help. Celebrity chef and motivational speaker Carla Hall visited Hormel Foods World Headquarters to help pack food for the Hometown Food Security Project’s backpack program, a coalition of groups working locally...
Impact in Action: Salvation Army Community Meal support
Local groups have rallied around The Salvation Army's community meal program at a time of great need… and they've done so in a big and inspirational way. At a particularly difficult moment when the program is looking for a replacement chef. Thanks to all of the...
Community Forum: Mower County Food Security Assessment – Nov 3, Nov 5
Interested in local food security issues and efforts? Join us at one of two forums next week! Your feedback is critical to creating informed solutions that will positively impact Mower County residents. The Hometown Food Security Coalition is conducting an asset-based...
300 Food Bags filled for Backpack Program
Thank you Hormel Foods Emerging Leaders, for volunteering for the Backpack Program! Volunteers packed around 300 food bags today! Foods bags will be given to local Mower County students. To learn more about the Backpack Program visit...
Austin Snack Packing Event a Success
Dear Volunteers: When our community comes together to get something done, it can have a huge impact! last Friday's packing event hosted by United Way, Hormel Foods, and Matter received an outpouring of community support and was a huge success. We appreciated the...
White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health
September, 2022 Goal: End hunger and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030, so that fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health will be hosted in...
The Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium
Feeding a Fragile World October 18-20, Des Moines, Iowa Held together with the presentation of the World Food Prize each October. It is a three day symposium that brings together international experts, policy leaders, business executives and farmers to discuss the...
Iowa Hunger Summit
Thursday, September 1 - Virtual One day gathering organized by the World Food Prize Foundation. The summit co-chairs include all four of Iowa's living governors and Dr. Borlaug, and highlights the efforts of Iowans to combat food insecurity. The summit includes the...
Toward Food Security 2025: A Case for Change Summit
Building a Food Secure Hometown in Austin, Minnesota
Hometown Food Security Project
318 Main St N.
Austin, MN 55912
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