GUTHRIE THEATER TO HOST CURBSIDE FOOD DRIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOOD GROUP

All are welcome to help the theater collect food for local families

December 10–12 from 2–6 p.m.

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced it will continue its annual tradition of partnering with The Food Group to collect healthy, nonperishable food items for Minnesota families in need this holiday season. The curbside food drive will take place at the Guthrie Theater, located at 818 South 2nd Street in Minneapolis, December 10–12 from 2–6 p.m.

The Guthrie has been in partnership with The Food Group, formerly Emergency Foodshelf Network, since 1982, co-hosting an annual food drive in conjunction with the theater’s production of A Christmas Carol. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 food drive was reimagined as a drive-by-and-drop-off event managed by Guthrie staff. Community members and staff donated an astonishing 8,269 pounds of food, which provided 6,890 meals and gave 191 families a three-day supply of food.

“We were overwhelmed by our community’s incredible demonstration of support during last year’s curbside food drive, and we’re eager to build on that spirit of generosity in 2021,” said Managing Director James Haskins. 

Suggested donation items include vegetables (low-sodium canned veggies, pasta sauce, salsa, mushrooms); dairy (powdered/shelf-stable milk, milk alternatives like rice, soy, almond); fruits (canned fruit, sugar-free applesauce, dried fruit, 100% fruit juices); grains (brown/wild rice, whole-grain pastas, low-sugar oatmeal, gluten-free options); proteins (canned tuna/salmon/chicken, canned/dried beans, unsalted nuts, peanut butter); oils and spices (olive/canola oil, onion/garlic powder, dried spices like basil, oregano, thyme); and household items (can openers, toilet paper, baby wipes, dish soap, hand sanitizer, face masks).

About The Food Group
The Food Group is a local nonprofit focused on using nutritious food to strengthen community. The organization works at the intersection of food access, equity and nutrition issues related to food and hunger in more than 32 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Programs include food shelf and meal program support; a healthy and affordable grocery sales program called Fare for All; and Big River Farms, an organic farmer education program in Marine on St. Croix for people historically underrepresented in farm ownership. The Food Group believes nutritious food strengthens our community by creating better health outcomes and providing the foundation needed to thrive. Learn more at www.thefoodgroupmn.org.

Land Acknowledgment
The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

THE GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an esteemed center for theater performance that seeks to illuminate our common humanity and transform our world through the power of live theater. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and firmly rooted in the community since 1963, the Guthrie is dedicated to producing classic and contemporary works with excellence, cultivating artists and inspiring the next generation of theatergoers. guthrietheater.org