Aiding the Community by Addressing Hunger: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s Giving Gardens

Nonprofit health plans play a key role in ensuring that Minnesotans have what they need to be well in life overall – and addressing food insecurity is just one of these critical needs. The Giving Gardens at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota have played an important part in helping the community by providing Minnesota food shelves with fresh, locally grown produce.

Blue Cross associates volunteer their time and talents by working in the gardens to plant, care for and harvest produce. This produce is then donated to a variety of organizations throughout Minnesota, including The Open Door Pantry in Eagan, Interfaith Action’s Department of Indian Work in St. Paul and Quad Cities Food Shelf on the Iron Range.

In 2020, the Blue Cross Giving Gardens produced more than 1,500 pounds of produce that was donated to local food shelves and was a record growing season for the Giving Gardens despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured are Blue Cross employees in the Giving Garden.