Second Harvest Northland launches final phase of $20 million campaign

Second Harvest Northland has started construction on the final phase of its $20 million Nourish the Northland campaign at its west Duluth facility, a move that is expected to reshape how food moves through the Northland’s hunger-relief network. The project is built around a simple operational goal: more storage, faster distribution and a wider reach for fresh food across northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

That matters because the need has not eased. Second Harvest Northland says more than 68,610 neighbors, including 1 in 6 children, are experiencing hunger in the region. The nonprofit also says its new facility is designed to strengthen access to healthy food for more than 70,000 neighbors and support 300 agency and community partners across its 15-county service area.

The organization said it distributed nearly 13 million pounds of food over the past year, underscoring the scale of the logistics behind its work. Better refrigeration and dry storage can determine whether dairy, produce, meat, fish and poultry reach schools, churches and local partner agencies in usable condition, or whether supply bottlenecks slow deliveries and limit what pantry shelves can offer.

Fundraising for the campaign remains a major part of the story. Second Harvest Northland said it had already secured just under $12 million, and the public phase of the campaign began on February 27, 2025 after the organization said it had already raised about $11 million. A separate matching-gift appeal has offered dollar-for-dollar matches on individual gifts up to $500,000 through June 30, 2026, creating a short-term incentive for donors as the final construction phase moves ahead.

Phase 1 of the Nourish the Northland campaign was completed in January 2026 and included a $4.2 million, 13,600-square-foot freezer-cooler expansion. Second Harvest Northland says that addition increased capacity for fresh and perishable food by 300% and dry food capacity by 210%, gains that are already feeding into the organization’s larger distribution network.

A June 2026 report said the final phase will add a market-style food shelf and a volunteer and community engagement center. Another report said the Duluth-area food shelf’s use had doubled since the move to west Duluth in January 2025, a sign that the facility is becoming a more active hub for direct service. For St. Louis County, the payoff is practical: a stronger regional warehouse, a faster food pipeline and more meals reaching households under pressure.