We had a busy summer and are anticipating a busy fall. Below are some of the highlights. We appreciate everyone who continues to help Friends in Need be a reliable source of support in our community.

We celebrated our fabulous volunteers on August 4 at our annual Volunteer Dinner. The Madison (formerly Historic Furber Farm) generously hosted our gathering at their beautiful venue, and we had a wonderful night. Friends in Need is staffed by the community in service of the community. We could not do what we do without our volunteers' time and talents and are so grateful.

The school supply drive took place on August 14 and we distributed 421 backpacks! Barb Koch and her son Sam have been organizing this event since 1998. Their dedication to this mission has had an incredible impact over the years. Thanks also goes to those who donated supplies and Marathon (St Paul Park) refinery for their generosity in helping to keep this tradition alive.

Volunteers working on the cilantro bed at the Newport Community garden. We are grateful to the gardeners for all the fresh produce during the summer!

Families are continuing to experience food insecurity in our community. We have had 716 new families seek help from FIN so far this year. Thanks to our generous community we are still able to serve anyone who seeks our services.

Amazon Wish List

These are the items we currently need

Feminine Hygiene Products



Video Tour

If you've ever wanted to take a tour or wondered what a visit to our food shelf would be like, we invite you to view this short (4 minute) video. Of course, we always enjoy giving in person tours too!

Click here!

Donate Stocks and IRAs to Friends in Need

A Return on Investment Like No Other

More people are choosing to donate Stocks or their IRA Required Minimum Distributions directly to FIN. This option eliminates paying taxes on those withdrawals and helps FIN feed those who are hungry in the community. Interested donors can contact Jill or Crystal to discuss their plans and facilitate the transfer. You can also visit FIN's website to print off a Stock Donation Form.

You can either email it to Director@finfood.org or mail it to:

Friends in Need

P.O. Box 6

Cottage Grove, MN 55016

Feel free to phone Jill or Crystal with any questions: (651) 458-0730.

Friends in Need is a nonprofit community-funded food shelf providing food and resources to those in need in the South Washington County communities of Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park, Newport, and Grey Cloud Island. Each week we serve 270-300 families, providing them with bountiful amounts of fresh produce, meat, milk, eggs, non-perishable food, and toiletries. Friends in Need also functions as a place for people in the community to volunteer their time and talents in service to others. 

Our Vision

Improving lives by ending hunger.

Our Mission

Provide food and resources to those in need. 

For more information on how you can support or become involved with the Friends in Need Food Shelf, please call Executive Director, Jill Hughes , at (651) 458-0730 or email her at director@finfood.org

If you would like to contribute to our work in the community, you may send a check to Friends in Need P.O. Box 6, Cottage Grove, MN 55016. Or visit: www.finfood.org to use your PayPal account or your credit card (processed by PayPal).

Thank you!