Minnesota Power Foundation Donates $100,000 to Support Second Harvest Northland Expansion

Minnesota Power Foundation presented a $100,000 check to Second Harvest Northland on Feb. 20, 2026, to support distribution work and the Nourish the Northland Capital Campaign to expand a distribution center acquired in 2022 in Duluth. The gift was announced in mid‑to‑late February 2026 and is part of a campaign with a $20 million goal that aims to finish Phase 2 construction by summer 2026.

The Nourish the Northland campaign has raised $16.5 million in Phase 1 and $3.5 million in Phase 2, the campaign figures show. Phase 1 funds purchased a 60,000 square-foot facility and a 13,600 square-foot freezer and cooler and paid for a program drive-through, a volunteer "clean room," operations offices, parking and landscaping. Phase 2 funding will construct a market where people can choose their food like a grocery store and build volunteer and community engagement centers, with an aim to complete both Phase 2 projects in summer 2026.

Second Harvest Northland President and CEO Shaye Moris thanked Minnesota Power for the contribution and for long-term partnership. “We couldn’t do our work without partners like Minnesota Power, and again, for three decades, they’ve been a supporter, with volunteer support, with, you know, contributions like these, and that’s really what makes this work happen. So we’re just really grateful to Minnesota Power for this check and for being here today,” Moris said.

Minnesota Power’s Community and Local Government Affairs Manager Kate Van Daele framed the gift as part of the utility’s broader community stewardship. “We really want to be a leader in sustainable energy, but that means more than providing power. It means giving back in ways that we feel are meaningful. Second Harvest does an incredible job at getting food out to the communities that they serve,” Van Daele said. Second Harvest Northland’s partner spotlight also notes Minnesota Power has matched employee donations and says the company’s support since the early 2000s has helped ensure “more than 750,000 meals to our Northland neighbors.”

Local impact for northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin will include increased distribution capacity from the Duluth facility and new client-choice market space intended to let people pick groceries more like a store. Second Harvest Northland lists its Duluth address at 2302 Commonwealth Avenue, Duluth, MN 55808, and a Grand Rapids location at 2222 Cromell Drive, Grand Rapids, MN 55744; the organization can be reached at (218) 326-4420 or info@secondharvestnorthland.org.

The $100,000 gift from the Minnesota Power Foundation is notable within the foundation’s giving history: local reporting noted the amount is much larger than the foundation’s typical grants of $10,000 or less. With Phase 2 scheduled for summer 2026 completion, the donation moves the Nourish the Northland campaign closer to opening the market and volunteer centers that organizers say will expand food distribution across the Northland.