North Country Food Alliance

Can You Define Food Sovereignty?

“Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.”

– As defined by La Via Campesina

North Country Food Alliance (NCFA) is a worker-run non-profit that takes action to strengthen food sovereignty in the Twin Cities Metro Area. With your help, we share healthy, culturally appropriate food; build community gardens; support local farmers; and reduce commercial and local food waste. 

Learn More About Our Work

Every weekday (and some weekends!), we pick up surplus food from farms, grocery stores, and distribution centers across the Twin Cities area. All of this food would otherwise be thrown away, either because it’s overstocked or visually imperfect. Most of it is fresh produce, which is often less available to people facing food insecurity. So far in 2024, we've moved over 350,000 pounds of recovered food! Our pickup partners in 2024 include Trader Joe's, United Noodle, East Side Grocery Co-op, and more. 

NCFA worker Ayo and St Paul Farmers Market vender Pachia next to more than 100lbs of produce

To ensure that we are in relationship with communities that are most marginalized, we partner with local nonprofit organizations such as soup kitchens, food shelves, and community-based mutual aid sites. Our work provides them with reliable access to fresh foods. 2024 food recipients include the Korean Service Center, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Groveland Food Shelf, Southside Foodshare, Open Door Pantry, CAN MN, Neighborhood House, and more!

Kum Paik of the Korean Service Center holding an oversized squash surrounded by boxes of recovered food

In 2020, we grew our local food recovery efforts by launching a gleaning program. Gleaning is the act of harvesting fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste at orchards, gardens, and farms. This is high-quality, seasonally grown food that would rot in the field if not for outside efforts—due to constraints on time, storage, or budget. In previous years, we have partnered with Dream of Wild Health and Philadelphia Community Farm. In 2024 we've expanded our Produce for the People Program in collaboration with St Paul Farmers Market, distributing over 90,000 pounds of food that were left at the end of the market day.

Boua and Yang Me Thao of Sandy Acres Farm at the Inver Grove Heights Farmers Market with a bounty of vegetables

We also began to purchase food from local farmers directly in 2020, focusing on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color)-run farms. By doing so, we support the local food system, provide additional funds to underrepresented farmers, and select specific culturally-appropriate foods for our foodshare program. As always, all food is given away completely free-of-charge! Our 2024 partners include Kilimo MN, the Sasa Group, and individual farmers we've gotten to know over the years through our Produce for the People program.

NCFA workers packing produce with Xia Lor Vang, who's been farming for 40 years in MN!

NCFA Celeste and Abby tending to plants in the community garden at New City Center in Powderhorn

We do things differently!

North Country Food Alliance is a worker-run nonprofit. This means that the people doing the work on the ground are the ones making the decisions. We have no executive director or upper management, and everyone falls under the same pay structure. 

At NCFA, each individual is empowered to bring their talents to the organization, and we work together as a team to get everything done. This model keeps workers accountable to each other, improves interpersonal relations and team morale, and brings greater transparency to the workplace. We encourage you to support worker democracies—at your workplace and ours! 

Donate Today!

Join North Country Food Alliance in strengthening food sovereignty in the Twin Cities Metro Area!

NCFA worker Ayo with a van full of starter plants, ready to be distributed

As a community-funded non-profit, we rely on your generous contributions to distribute food completely free-of-charge. With your help, we share healthy, culturally-appropriate food with thousands of our neighbors every week.

Join us in providing nourishing food for body, mind, and place. Give now to help end food waste and empower our neighbors with abundant access to healthy, sustainable, and culturally appropriate foods. Thank you for your support!