You want an easy way to help your neighbors struggling to make ends meet? Gather up all those brown paper bags you’ve saved from grocery shopping and head to the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul.
“As winter approaches and food insecurity spikes, the historic Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood relies heavily on paper grocery bags to distribute essential meals through its choice model food shelf,” said Hallie Q. Brown Community Center CEO, Benny Roberts. The food shelf model provides options that keep diet, culture and religion in mind. “An emergency shelf gives you what you need but dignity can be lost if someone can’t eat gluten or the food is not kosher.”
While community members can easily drop off paper grocery bags directly at the center, staff members emphasize that financial support is another way to keep those bags filled.
The appeal comes as the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center is working to bridge a gap from its 97th Annual Fundraising Dinner on Oct. 3. The organization raised $70,000, falling short of its $125,000 goal.
Located in St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood, the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, nearing its 100th year, is one of Minnesota's oldest African American social service agencies. Over the decades, it has established itself as what Roberts calls "the headquarters of the Rondo community," giving residents a place where they can access vital resources without judgment or stigma.
“These days it costs us more to get the food we provide,” Roberts said. “Even people with jobs are supplementing through our food shelf. Last year we gave $1.5 million in food, circulating it back into the community.”
Beyond food assistance, the center offers comprehensive wraparound services. It houses a free prevention health clinic designed to deliver medical screenings, health assessments, and prenatal care without the typical financial barriers of insurance requirements or copays. The center also offers specialized veteran’s services and connection opportunities to help former service members navigate available benefits.
"We understand community is not something we do ourselves," Roberts said.
The center also collaborates with Prepare + Prosper to provide free tax preparation and financial services, works alongside the NAACP, and partners with Saint Paul Promise to serve as an educational hub that helps residents make informed decisions.
Sustaining these programs requires ongoing community investment.
"The money would help us continue supporting people navigating resources in the neighborhood," Roberts said. "People’s needs spike when the weather gets cold. We want to get resources into our neighborhood."
Community members looking to support the center can drop off paper grocery bags or make financial donations at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, located at 270 N. Kent St. in St. Paul.
