St. Paul Park – At a time when individuals and households throughout Minnesota are experiencing hardships in numbers never seen before, the Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless Foundation is working hard to ensure their funding reaches those in need in every corner of the state.
In their most recent funding cycle, Open Your Heart funding will replace a failing commercial refrigerator vital to Basic Needs Inc.’s daily food distribution. Basic Needs provides barrier‑free access to food, household essentials, and coordinated services for nearly 200,000 individuals each year. A new refrigerator ensures safe cold storage and supports cost‑effective food purchasing, helping maintain an inventory of fresh, healthy options for the community.
Since 1986, the Open Your Heart Foundation has ensured that emergency shelters, food shelves and domestic violence shelters throughout Minnesota have the tools, equipment, and infrastructure necessary to best serve those in need.
Open Your Heart awards funds every three months and provides emergency support within days during a crisis. They support programs in communities where many traditional funders do not reach – food shelves, domestic violence shelters, and homeless programs in small communities and sparsely served remote corners of the state. Through this direct support, Open Your Heart helps these organizations provide safe and dignified environments for people experiencing food and housing insecurity across Minnesota.
For more information about Open Your Heart, grantees or the grant application process visit www.oyh.org. To learn more about Basic Needs Inc of South Washington County visit www.basicneedsmn.org.