Give to the Max Day 2011

The Truth About Poverty
In the past decade, suburban poverty has outstripped its urban counterpart, with the poor population rising almost five times faster than in large cities. The growth also challenges the misconception that poverty is only an inner city problem. The fact remains that suburban poverty has always existed, and it’s on the rise today. This has been a challenge VEAP has faced since its inception almost 40 years ago.

Community Need
The most recent census data on the communities VEAP serves paints a compelling picture of how important VEAP’s programs were in 2010. VEAP served 95% and 77% of the low-income population in Bloomington and Richfield, respectively. VEAP served 37% of the low-income population in Edina. Although there is no comparative census data for the South Minneapolis region, VEAP has continued to see an increase in need from South Minneapolis residents, 9% in 2010.

VEAP's Unique Work
VEAP the largest food shelf in the state of Minnesota and it is the only agency of its kind in the communities it serves. VEAP uses the efforts of hundreds of volunteers to provide thousands of services to working poor and low-income families and individuals. Through our integrated services we continue to meet the growing need. Our functional value to the community, goods + dollars + volunteer services, is $6.3 million. For every $1 donated we can offer $4 of services to the community.

What VEAP Does
It has been VEAP’s experience that the low-income population is often the first and hardest to be hit by an economic downturn and is the last to be affected by the upswing. VEAP’s programs and services benefit the community by assisting residents in their time of need, helping them to remain stable and offsetting household costs. Our programs focus on prevention and early intervention by providing solutions for families in economic crisis and moving them towards long-term stability. The impact of these programs will vary depending on the situation of those receiving the assistance. VEAP is the largest food shelf in Minnesota and without our services the low-income in our communities would have had to search elsewhere for the cohesive professional services available at VEAP. VEAP measures success by our ability to provide quality help to as many struggling people in our community as possible.

How You Can Help
Donate to VEAP today and help a family in your community regain stability in a time of economic hardship. Your donation will go a long way by helping your neighbors in need.