Southern Anoka Community Assistance (SACA), the Columbia Heights-based food shelf that served over 50,000 families last year, celebrated the purchase of a new building with a community picnic on Friday, Sept. 8.
More than 100 people showed up for hot dogs, chips, cookies, music and tours at the new facility at 3905 California Street. The new building will triple the size of SACA’s working quarters and will allow the nonprofit to grow with the needs of the community.
SACA, now in its 57th year, serves Columbia Heights, Hilltop, Fridley, Spring Lake Park and Northeast Minneapolis and last year distributed 860,000 lbs. of food. SACA also provides home delivery and does so to 150 people. But the delivery program is maxed out at this time, and there is a waiting list. The new location is closer to bus service than the current location.
A host of dignitaries including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Columbia Heights Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula and Anoka County Commissioner Mandy Meisner attended the picnic.
The picnic was also Northeast Bank’s annual community picnic staffed by bank employees. Northeast Bank has been a major contributor to SACA through the years and helped with financing for this project.
The building had been a machine shop for many years and prior to that had housed Cirtech, a printed circuit board company.
The new facility has 24,000 square feet of space. The new quarters will house the food shelf, a thrift shop, offices and space for SACA’s home delivery program.
The food shelf has raised about $3.5 million in the last five years, but is still seeking $500,000 in a capital fund drive to restore the building for its use. It is expected the building will be gutted with some new walls and spaces created.
Steve Smith, SACA board chair, said a bill carried by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., provided $1 million for the project. The Minnesota Legislature has provided $2.5 million.
Omar noted that her background is in nutrition education. “I know the importance of food in people’s lives.” She thanked the volunteers. “I’m grateful for the kind of community we have here.”
SACA was started in a farmhouse in 1976. A combination of factors, including inflation, have hit some families hard, and first-time users of the food shelf increased 35% last year.
Dave Rudolph, co-director, gave special thanks to Northeast Bank for its donations and for staffing the picnic.
Ben Harris, board member, said SACA is starting with “a stinky old machine shop but we’re going to make something really special. This is progress.” He thanked volunteers. “They try to make sure that our neighbors down the road have enough to eat.”
The state and federal funding has not been allocated, but the paperwork is moving forward, a spokesperson for SACA said. The building has been purchased through financing from Northeast Bank. The renovation will occur as the last $500,000 in the capital fund drive is secured.
SACA will hold an Empty Bowls event Wednesday, Oct. 25, 4-7 p.m. at John P. Murzyn Hall, 530 Mill Street NE., with homemade soup, bread, and dessert from local restaurants, live entertainment from local schools and organizations and an art sale. Freewill donations go to SACA. Everyone who donates will receive a handmade bowl to take home.
The Bright Futures campaign offers naming rights to various rooms and areas, for example dairy/deli coolers at $30,000 or pollinator garden at $15,000. Businesses can sponsor a delivery truck for three years. Donor wall recognition and paving bricks are for sale. For more info, go to https://sacafoodshelf.org/capital-campaign or call 763-789-2444.
In partnership with Second Harvest Heartland, SACA distributes thousands of pounds of produce to families in need through free, drive-through events open to the public while supplies last. The last two for the year are 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays, September 23 and October 14 at the current location, 627 38th Ave. NE.
See a schematic design of the plans for the new SACA building on page 5 of this Northeaster.
Below, at 3905 California St. NE, while the amount of space dedicated to the planned SACA food shelf’s shopping area will be about the same, many of the improvements are aimed at making better use of food donations and volunteer labor: A covered drive-in area for donation unloading, vastly expanded warehouse, sorting area and storage with a freezer and additional cooler space. SACA’s Thrift Store, with a try-on room, will return. There will be private areas for meeting with people in need, and a sit-down waiting area. At the south end of the building are basement spaces and a second story that will eventually become offices and classrooms for expanding services (a next phase after the current campaign). See related story on pages 1 and 8. (Margo Ashmore)
More than a hundred people turned out for the annual Northeast Bank Picnic featuring hot dogs, chips, pop and cookies. The event also marked the purchase of the new SACA food shelf building (in the background), which is across from Łomianki Park and the Blooming Sunshine garden. Northeast Bank staff served the food. (Al Zdon)
