Appetite For Change is a nonprofit that uses food as a tool to build health, wealth, and social change in North Minneapolis. We bring people together to learn, cook, eat, and grow food, creating change that lasts. Appetite for Change (AFC) aims to advance the Northside’s ability to cultivate a community-owned food system. We work to build sustainable urban farming practices while increasing access to fresh, affordable, and culturally relevant foods. To achieve this, we focus our efforts on:
Urban Agriculture | Our three urban farm sites and greenhouse are tended by youth who learn to grow various produce. These fresh fruits and vegetables supply our workshop, meal boxes and Farm Stand. AFC also donates a portion of our produce to other local food shelves. Youth participate in learning how to manage an urban farm as AFC’s business and social enterprise arm.
Community Cooks Workshops offers 18 free cooking workshops, tailored to meet the needs of youth, families, and the Northside community. Participants prepare and eat meals, learn about nutrition, and engage in group discussions. After each workshop, the participants can take home a hot plate as well as AFC’s newest initiative, “Green Bags” which contain all the ingredients from the workshop.
Community Cooks Meal Boxes | From June – November annually, AFC sources, packages, and distributes 140 Meal Boxes per week containing 6-10lbs of fresh, culturally appropriate food to Northside community members experiencing food insecurity; enough to cover up to six servings per meal, with two meals per box.
Youth Training and Opportunity Program (YTOP) | We train 30 youth ages 14-18 annually in a culturally rooted job training program to become agents of community change by developing their leadership, culinary, job readiness, urban gardening, and organizing skills through training programs, education, and employment opportunities. All YTOP participants earn a wage of $15.95 per hour for all activities, averaging 10-20 hours per week during the school year and 25-35 hours per week during the summer. Youth participate in Community Learning Sessions (CLS) and engage all year in our programs through on-the-job training (OJT) time.
Impact Metrics from 2024:
2,400lbs of AFC grown produce was distributed through meal boxes, used in workshops and included take away “Green Bags”
3,120 AFC Mealboxes were delivered to families in North Minneapolis
7,800lbs of local organic produce was grown in our North Minneapolis farms
1,152 youth hours spent on the farm
3,552 on the job training hours for youth ages 14-18
$135k paid to YTOP youth, re-distributing wealth back into North Minneapolis.