Second Harvest Heartland

Every September for the last 19 consecutive years we’ve celebrated the end of summer with a magnificent deep-fried potluck feast, and it’s one of our favorite days of the year. But this year is different.


Before COVID-19 put a serious crimp in Minnesota's economy, one in 11 Minnesota families couldn’t afford enough to eat. After a few months of living in a pandemic, that number is a staggering one in eight.  We haven't dealt with this kind of hunger since the Great Depression.

We’re dedicating this year’s Deep Fry Festival to helping make things just a little bit better in our community, and we hope you’ll join us. We’ve set a goal of raising $5,000 for Second Harvest Heartland. Second Harvest has been helping hungry neighbors find their next meal for decades, and is one of the largest food banks in the country. 

Please join us in making a donation, and easing a little bit of the hunger and pain that has crept into our community this year.

What's in it for you?
Glad you asked. While we can't reasonably host 100 guests for a fry party in the middle of a pandemic, there's no reason we can't have at least one family over for some fried indulgence! The top 10 contributors to the hunger drive will be entered in a drawing to be our guest at a private backyard deep fried feast prepared and served by the Taschler family. It does NOT get any better than that.

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the resulting social distancing policies, have changed how we engage with the world around us. More and more Minnesotans are embracing outdoor activities such as walking, running, and biking. At the same time, many people in Minnesota are truly suffering from the direct and indirect impacts of the virus. As the effects of the virus reverberate through the economy, people who are out of work struggle to put food on the table. How can we help those in need?
 
Please consider becoming a part of the MN Miles for Meals Movement. To help those in need, let's get outside and move! Our goal is to raise $5,000 by collectively walking 1,000 miles before the end of August.  All of the proceeds will go to the nonprofit organization Second Harvest Heartland. Second Harvest Heartland leads through innovation and finding creative solutions to connect the full resources of our community with our hungry neighbors. We know that together as a state, we can combat the effects of this virus. To put that in perspective, $5,000 is enough to provide 15,000 meals to our hungry neighbors ($1 is worth 3 meals).

To join the Minnesota Miles for Meals movement, donate $15 or more to this page, then visit our website, Minnesota Miles for Meals, to join the 1,000 mile challenge. We appreciate your support!

The University of Minnesota Interfraternity Council has organized this fundraiser to support the most vulnerable in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second Harvest Heartland supports both Minnesota and western Wisconsin and is a subsidiary of Feeding America Inc., an organization that supports over 200 food banks nationwide.

As the University of Minnesota has shut down in-person instruction, all fraternity events and philanthropies have also been cancelled to due COVID-19. For years, each individual chapter on Minnesota’s campus has held multiple events to raise money for their chosen organization. This year in sight of COVID-19 and its setbacks, Minnesota’s Interfraternity Council has decided to host a campus wide philanthropy instead of holding individual chapter events. Even though students may not be living and studying on campus, the work and service we provide must continue on for the benefit of not only our campus, but our city, our state, and the many organizations we support. 

As the world is struggling during these times from COVID-19, one of the greatest affects has revolved around our country’s food banks. So, this spring IFC is hosting a fraternity wide philanthropy for Second Harvest Heartland, an organization working to end local hunger.  Our goal is to unify the greek community during these times of separation behind a unified cause. 

Due to the certain nature of Second Harvest Heartland's work and its ability to purchase food at a discount from vendors, and the difficulty of collecting food in person, IFC will be hosting this philanthropy on this GoFundMe page. 

The fraternity community, along with its governing body IFC, is extremely excited to host this fundraiser and are looking  forward to providing an immense impact for an organization providing great services. For this to work, we need to get as much presence and visibility, along with having every individual consider giving to this cause. Outside of financial contributions, we sincerely ask you to share this GoFundMe page with your friends, families, and anyone who would be interested in the work we are doing. Thank you.  ~IFC