PROP participates in summer matching campaign to keep food shelf stocked as demand rises

We all know summer is busy. 

Between trips to the cabin, vacations and taking the kids to whichever camp they are signed up for this week, it can be difficult to find time for anything else. 

But for some Eden Prairie residents, summer presents a different set of challenges. With school out of session and kids spending more time at home, it can be difficult for families to put food on the table during the months without support from free and reduced-price lunches at school. 

Jenifer Loon, executive director of PROP Food, said July is the month with the greatest demand for food shelf service, largely because children are out of school. 

Fifty percent of clients who visited PROP in June were families with children, Loon said.

At the same time, summer is when PROP and other food shelves tend to get the fewest donations because of people’s busy summer schedules, Loon said. 

“People do tend to think about us as you get towards the holiday season and are very generous,” Loon said. “But July and the summers tend to be the time when our shelves get pretty empty … and we really need to make extra effort to try to get more donations in and more support, because the need is high, proportionally.”

PROP, which stands for People Reaching Out to People, partnered with Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless for a July fundraising campaign called “Open Your Heart to Our Neighbors in Need.” PROP set the goal of raising $150,000 this July, and Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless will match donations proportionally. 

You can donate to PROP via its website or by sending a check to PROP at 14700 Martin Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. 

PROP reported greater need during the first six months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. The organization served 5,100 clients in 2024, up 28% from the previous year, and client visits in 2025 are already up 10% from 2024.

This reflects a statewide trend.

According to a study from Second Harvest Heartland, one in five Minnesotans struggles to afford enough food. Furthermore, 26% of households with children are food insecure. 

The end of pandemic-era services has contributed to these trends, Loon said, so some people who were eligible for support with things such as rent and groceries are no longer receiving that help. At the same time, food prices have increased, with inflation reaching a 40-year high. 

There was more than a 10% increase in food costs since the pandemic, and prices have remained about the same, Loon said. 

“Not everyone is on SNAP benefits or … has gone hungry with nothing to eat today,” Loon said. “And then for other people, it’s, ‘I might have food today or this week, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to buy groceries next week.’”

Loon said many of PROP’s clients work lower-wage jobs, and much of their paycheck ends up going to rent and other bills. 

“They need the help of a food shelf to kind of make their money stretch from the beginning to the end of the month,” Loon said. “There isn’t enough money left over after you pay your rent and a couple of other bills to buy groceries for your family.”

PROP’s “Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless” campaign collaborates with Open Your Heart’s Summer Challenge. 

The Summer Challenge has a $75,000 matching incentive divided among the participating food shelves, said Jessica Mathias, Open Your Heart’s executive director. PROP is eligible for up to $4,000 in matching funds. 

Mathias said 86 food shelves are participating in the initiative this summer. 

PROP accepts food and monetary donations year-round. The food shelf’s website displays a pop-up with the most-needed items when you first visit the website. 

Mathias said volunteering time to a food shelf is a great alternative to a monetary donation. 

Loon said PROP has other initiatives throughout the year to raise money for the food shelf and to collect food donations. Later this summer, the food shelf will collect donations during National Night Out, and it also does a holiday gift card drive.

PROP Food, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provides nourishment and comprehensive support to Eden Prairie and Chanhassen residents facing challenges related to food, housing or employment.