SACA Food Shelf

SACA has served Columbia Heights and surrounding communities for almost 50 years. With a team of six staff and over 600 volunteers, SACA distributes over 900,000 pounds of food annually through their client-choice food shelf, mobile food program, produce distributions, and grocery delivery service. SACA also has an onsite thrift store where all proceeds go to feeding the community.

SACA is a food shelf and thrift store located in Columbia Heights, less than two miles north of Eastside Food Co-op. Our mission is to provide food and resources to those in need while empowering dignity and independence to those we serve through various programs including our client-choice food shelf, mobile food program, and thrift store.

SACA is a food access organization with a commitment to sustainability. In 2024, SACA fed over 68,000 people and rescued almost 600,000 pounds of food from the landfill. We’re committed to feeding as many people as possible through our programs while reducing food waste in the Northeast metro. Rescued food that is not fit for human consumption is sent to local animal sanctuaries (produce and meats) or composted if it is unsafe for animals. Beyond food, our onsite thrift store reduces waste by giving clothing and household items a second life. Our thrift store is 100% volunteer run, which means all proceeds go to buying food. Clothing and other items that are unable to be sold in the thrift store or are too damaged are sent to a local organization that recycles textiles for various uses. We also collect plastic bags and cling film used at the food shelf to be turned into park benches in partnership with Trex and the Spring Lake Park Lions Club. We use an all-electric cargo van for our events and special pick-ups and deliveries.

SACA has served record numbers of families every year since 2020, and the demand isn’t slowing down. As we prepare for growth to better serve our neighbors, we need operational funds to keep today’s families fed. It currently costs about $5,000 to stock our shelves for the month and $1,500 to provide groceries for our delivery program. Every dollar makes a difference in feeding families in our community as hunger continues to grow.

Eastside is an incredible partner of SACA. In addition to sponsoring our events, we have also built a recipe program (and eventually a cookbook) for our neighbors with the support of Eastside and the Minnesota Les Dames d’Escoffier, who are providing recipe development and nutrition expertise. We’re thrilled to have participated in clothing swaps in Eastside’s community room and All Together Now. We’re so grateful for Eastside’s commitment to serving our neighbors in the community!