Concerns are mounting over the USDA freezing funds amid the changes food shelves are making during increased ICE activity.
ANOKA COUNTY, Minn. — Executive directors from food shelves across the metro tell KARE 11 they’re once again navigating disruption, just months after government shutdown threats rattled operations this fall.
The need hasn’t slowed, but now, the funding that helps meet that need might.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified Minnesota it would freeze $130 million in funding, citing concerns about fraud in the state. That money helps support food shelves and hunger relief programs statewide.
“Enough is enough! The Trump administration has uncovered MASSIVE fraud in Minnesota and Minneapolis—billions siphoned off by fraudsters. And those in charge have ZERO plan to fix it,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Twitter.
The USDA will suspend federal financial awards to the state “until sufficient proof has been provided that the fraud has stopped,” according to Rollins.
“It feels like everything is up in the air right now,” said Stephanie Lehman, executive director of the ACBC Food Shelf in Anoka. “It feels like a lot of chaos.”
Lehman says the decision feels targeted — and punishing — at a time when demand is already at record levels.
“It feels very intentional,” she said. “It feels like a lot of being hit when you’re already down.”
ACBC served nearly 90,000 people last year, the most in its history. Lehman says recent increases in ICE activity have also changed how people access food — with some families afraid to leave their homes.
“Knowing that this is going on around us has been really hard,” Lehman said.
At the ICA Food Shelf in Minnetonka, visits have surged dramatically.
“We’ve seen a 91 percent increase in visits from 2021 to 2025,” said Dan Narr, who helps lead the organization.
The demand has grown so sharply that ICA is now about to hire additional staff.
“I’ve been in this role for six years,” Narr said. “And it feels like we’ve just been in a crisis since COVID.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding federal funding — and the fear many families are feeling — both food shelves say their mission remains unchanged.
They’ll keep finding ways to serve their communities.
“I feel like there’s always hope on the other side,” Lehman said. “We’ll get there. It’s just how we get there that’s the challenge.”
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