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Whether you're learning about gender/sexuality for the first time, questioning your identity, or feel like you know what's going on, you deserve to feel supported and have the tools you need to take care of your mental health.

If you feel like you're looking for resources that don't require you to have to explain your gender, sexuality, or identity, there's a lot of LGBTQ+ support out there!

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LGBTQ Resources - Minnesota Teen Mental Health Directory

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Whether you're learning about gender/sexuality for the first time, questioning your identity, or feel like you know what's going on, you deserve to feel supported and have the tools you need to take care of your mental health.

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Food shelves

View the food shelf map and click on a grocery cart to view information about a specific food shelf. You can download a PDF of food shelf information.

Consider contacting the food shelf before visiting to confirm their hours of operation because schedules may change.

Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story)

Every Meal works to combat hunger in the community by filling the gaps to food access that children face.

Hunger Solutions

Hunger Solutions provides information and advocates for hunger relief across the State. Visit the Hunger Solutions website or call their Minnesota Food Helpline on weekdays during business hours at 1-888-711-1151 to learn more.

To find meal sites near you:

View the Free Meals for Kids map for current meal sites being offered.

Access the Hunger Solutions search tool to locate free meal sites, as well as food shelves and other food resources near you. Please contact the organization to confirm schedules.

Hunger Solutions also provides information on food resources such as the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Market Bucks. The Market Bucks program helps SNAP-EBT participants purchase more good food at their local farmers market.

Minneapolis American Indian Center

Minneapolis American Indian Center serves a large and tribally diverse urban American Indian population in the metro area. They provide culturally relevant meals to elders in the native community and are seeking donations.

Second Harvest Heartland

Second Harvest Heartland is a hunger relief organization that primarily acts as a food bank, one of the nation’s largest, that collects and donates food through a variety of programs and services.

The organization operates across Central Minnesota, the metro area, and Western Wisconsin. Second Harvest Heartland is seeking monetary donations from anyone able to help.

SNAP - Online ordering and delivery

Minnesotans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) food benefits can now use their EBT card to purchase eligible items from authorized online retailers. Find more information about how to order food using EBT benefits, participating retailers and delivery options.

The Food Group

The Food Group is a hunger relief organization that has many programs including a food bank and the Twin Cities Mobile Market to help alleviate hunger in Minneapolis and around the metro region.

Volunteers are currently needed for daily food packing and sorting at the Food Group's New Hope warehouse. If interested, please visit their volunteer website.

Twin Cities Mutual Aid Project (TCMAP)

TCMAP is a local, volunteer-run collective that acts as a bridge supporting the work of mutual aid sites and helping our community find and access material aid and other resources.

TCMAP tools include:

An interactive, searchable map that tracks the hours, needs, and available goods at over 200 Twin Cities food and other aid sites

A directory of mutual aid resources that don’t easily fit on a map, like free medical and economic assistance programs

A mutual aid calendar that lists educational trainings, community-led action, and other local events

Twin Cities Mutual Aid Project (TCMAP)

Learn more and view the map.

United Way

United Way 211 can be reached 24 hours/day for food support questions by dialing 2-1-1 on your phone or by texting your zip code to 898-211.

Other resources

Visit the Minneapolis Health Department's Food Donations web page to learn how businesses and organizations can donate prepared, unserved food.

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Food shelves provide residents with steady access to food.

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As schools work to safeguard student health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, school counselors are challenged to meet student needs both at school and outside school in the event of closures. Here is a back-to-school resource from ASCA.

School Closures
The rapid spread of COVID-19, commonly referred to as the coronavirus, has forced districts to review and in some cases implement emergency shutdown plans. As with any school safety issue, ongoing collaboration among campus staff, administration and district personnel is critical.

Depending on your district's safety protocol, a school may want to appoint a multidisciplinary team to create plans so services can continue in the event of a shutdown. This team should include an administrator, school counselor, lead teachers, social worker/psychologist and school nurse, plus other personnel deemed necessary.

Any plan should involve comprehensive school counseling services that would be provided, while taking into account legal (depending on the state) as well as ethical concerns. Because school counselors do not provide ongoing therapy, the team should develop a list of available outside mental health services and share with parents and families. Ensure equity and access issues are addressed in any coordinated plan as well, such as ensuring students have access to computers and Internet.
Guidance on Virtual or Distance Learning Programs
The ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors provide guidelines for working in a virtual or distance learning environment. Providing school counseling services and activities in this setting presents some challenges and limitations, but here are some things to consider.

Have you worked with administrators to develop a plan for how students and families can reach the school counselor through phone, email or online platforms?

Do you have procedures for students to follow in both emergency and non-emergency situations when the school counselor is not available?

What steps will you take to recognize and mitigate the confidentiality limits you may face as virtual/distance school counselors? Remember to follow your school and district policies for online services/activities, accessing student information and using online platforms.

How will you educate students on ways to participate in the relationship with the virtual/distance school counselor? Develop methods to minimize or prevent potential misunderstandings that could occur due to a lack of visual and verbal cues or the inability to read body language.

Are you using school and district online platforms to communicate with students? Do not use your personal phones. If a communications method is not readily available, work with your school and district administration to find a solution.

Are you providing as much information on the school counseling website as possible? You should be prepared to update it frequently.

Providing Direct Student Services
Should you be forced to develop alternative methods for providing direct services to students, prioritize the most critical academic, career and social/emotional lessons while continuing to teach the school counseling curriculum as much as possible. Because the uncertainty of working in a new environment will bring heightened stress to students, emphasize the following:

Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.

Self-confidence in ability to succeed, manage transitions and adapt to changing situations and responsibilities

Effective coping and personal safety skills

Social maturity and behavior that is appropriate to the situation and environment.

You also should encourage families to use appropriate online resources to enhance the students' ongoing academic, career and social/emotional development.
Providing Indirect Student Services
If you are providing indirect services to students, you should make a concentrated effort to educate the school community on how to best reach you. Use email and any available school/district online platforms and resources to consult and collaborate with families, teachers, administrators and other school staff. Provide resources on how to receive mental health, social/emotional and physical well-being support on your website.

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Resources - Minnesota School Counselor Association

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As schools work to safeguard student health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, school counselors are challenged to meet student needs both at school and outside school in the event of closures. Here is a back-to-school resource from ASCA.