Cargill Foundation backs Appetite for Change, providing access to nutritious foods in the Twin Cities

On Friday, Appetite for Change (AFC), Cargill, and the greater-Twin Cities community celebrate the opening of Station 81. This new AFC social enterprise is located in the historic Union Depot, in Lowertown St. Paul. Station 81 is a restaurant and bar offering chef driven, affordable food and features healthy and local options, including produce grown by AFC’s youth. The inspiration for the new restaurant came from AFC’s first social enterprise, the Breaking Bread Café in North Minneapolis, which is set to reopen later this spring through contributions from the Cargill Foundation and other Twin Cities organizations.

“The Cargill Foundation continues to invest in advancing nutrition and food security in the Twin Cities by extending its investment in and partnership with Appetite for Change, whose mission is to build health, wealth and social change through food,” said Michelle Grogg Vice President Global Corporate Responsibility and Executive Director of the Cargill Foundation. “Food and agriculture together provide more opportunities for access to healthy and nutritious food and economic mobility in our local communities.”

Appetite for Change is using agriculture in the Twin Cities to provide access to nutritious food and employment opportunities. This comes to life in several areas, including their Youth Training & Opportunities program, Community Cooks workshops, the West Broadway Farmers’ Market and now Station 81, which all create jobs and offer career programs for underserved populations. All revenue from AFC’s business ventures is poured back into Twin Cities communities to promote nutritious foods, urban agriculture and food justice. AFC demonstrates that agriculture is how we’ll ensure a safe, sustainable and affordable food system.

“Station 81 is named for the year the railway at Union Depot was built and also acts as a nod to West Broadway Avenue in North Minneapolis, otherwise known as County Road 81,” said Michelle Horovitz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Appetite for Change. “Food brings people and cultures together, and we are grateful for the Cargill Foundation’s efforts to help use food justice as a tool for bridging the Minneapolis and St. Paul communities.”

Cargill’s 160,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 154 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.