Despite Low Unemployment, 2017 Had A Record Number Of Food Shelf Visits

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Last year, Minnesotans reportedly visited food shelves 3.4 million times, a record in state history.

The local advocacy group Hunger Solutions said that it analyzed data from the Department of Human Services and found that there were 3,402,077 food shelf visits in Minnesota in 2017.

The group says this marks the seventh consecutive year that food shelf visits have topped 3 million.

"In other words, since the recession, it's become the 'new normal' in Minnesota," said Colleen Moriarty, Hunger Solutions' executive director.

She says that despite falling unemployment numbers, food shelf usage is going up.

According to Hunger Solutions, the vast majority of food shelf visits (nearly 55 percent) happen in the Twin Cities metro area.