The Origins of Neighbors Feeding Neighbors
Neighbors Feeding Neighbors (NFNs) began as a simple idea rooted in a love of recipes and grocery shopping. On October 31, we placed twelve meal kits outside our home—each containing shelf-stable ingredients and a recipe to feed a family of four—to help improve food accessibility. Our local food shelf was already at capacity, had limited shopping hours, and encouraged families to shop only once a month.
Because we live in a cul-de-sac, we questioned whether this effort was truly helping the community or simply making us feel good. After we shared the project on local social media pages, one commenter derided us for “saving the world one Aldi bag at a time.” As malicious as that remark was, it also kept us grounded. We know this meal kit project will not solve world hunger or remove the structural barriers that lead to food insecurity in our community. They will not change why someone needs help. What they can do is offer relief for one night—whether someone is facing financial strain, time constraints, or simple exhaustion—without requiring proof of need. It was a humbling way to begin a project.
One kit was taken the first day, and all twelve were gone by the end of the week. NFNs has since become a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on volunteers, allowing 100% of donations to go directly toward ingredients. In just six months, more than 700 meals have been distributed, representing 2,800 servings, along with 70 grant-funded holiday meal kits that included a ham, eggs, milk, and other fresh items in addition to shelf-stable ingredients.
The Buffalo Library, Buffalo Area Community Center, Buffalo Books and Coffee, Buffalo United Methodist Church, and Buffalo Presbyterian Church serve as host sites where individuals and families can pick up a meal kit. This distribution model helps sustain the program through the winter and keeps meal kits accessible seven days a week. If you need a meal kit, take one. If you know someone who needs one, take one for them. After it became clear the project was meeting a real need, Neighbors Feeding Neighbors was established to sustain the free meal kit program..
Our mission
Neighbors Feeding Neighbors strives to be a community resource by supporting neighbors in need through its free meal kit program. We provide grab-and-go bags with shelf-stable ingredients and a recipe to feed a family of four, distributed through host sites across the community. Meal kits are free and available to anyone, without proof of need required. We operate on five pillars of community well-being: belonging, support, contribution, compassion, and dignity.
Food Accessibility and Well-being
One neighbor needed meals delivered and called every Monday to request two meal kits—one for herself and one for a friend. One week, her call came late, and when I delivered the kits, she shared that she had overslept after an incredibly stressful day. The following Monday, she sounded upbeat and introduced me to her friend as she handed him one of the two kits. She also mentioned that another resident in the apartment had tried the Chicken Wild Rice Soup meal kit and enjoyed it. Since I had one in the car, I gave it to her. As I left, I heard her tell her friend, "I'll make this for you."
Thank you for supporting Neighbors Feeding Neighbors. As we continue this work, we are learning more about the complexity of food and nutrition accessibility and how gaps in our social safety nets affect our community. We will keep sharing what we learn to raise awareness, drawing on science, data, and stories that show how food can connect us.
Email us at neighborsfeedingneighborsmn@gmail.com to learn how you can support the free meal kit project through donations or by hosting a meal kit assembly event. You can also follow us on Facebook to learn more about the connection between food accessibility, health, learning, and well-being.
