Blog: Share Your Summer with PRISM

There’s nothing Minnesotans love more than summer. But as 35W clogs up on Fridays and Sundays from cabin commuters, others in our community are facing new barriers to food security.

Children rely on schools for breakfast and lunch, and parents rely on schools for childcare to make their workday feasible. And to make matters worse, donations and volunteer hours at PRISM and other food shelves drop during the summer months.

As you enjoy your summer – and you should! – think about what it would mean to share some of it. If you’re investing in a summer CSA, can you match that and give it monthly to PRISM so that someone else can enjoy fresh vegetables? While you’re hosting a pool party and see your kid doing a cannonball, decide to donate to our birthday room so all kids can enjoy their summer.

And better yet, ask your friends and family to join you. When you’re at the pool, at the cabin, at the ice cream shop, let the people in your life know about how hunger affects our community, and how the summer months only exacerbate this. Make a pledge to donate a dollar every time you think about what a great summer you’re having.

Why donate dollars and not canned goods?

Think about what you like to eat in the summer. Chances are, it’s not spaghetti o’s, tuna casserole, or other shelf-stable food. It’s fresh salads, fruits, and burgers on the grill. All foods that are harder to donate but easier to buy. And by letting PRISM do the purchasing, you can be sure you’ll get more for your dollar. We know the best place to buy in bulk, find the best deals, and know exactly what is popular and running low on the shelves.

So share your summer with PRISM, so we can share it with the community.

Everyone deserves to have a great summer.