2024 Second Harvest Heartland Holiday Gift Guide
As we look towards the holiday season, we wanted to highlight some of the creative ways that our supporters give back to inspire your season of giving. For many families, a focus on creating memories has changed the way they celebrate, going from giving stuff to planning ways to spend quality time together. Others are choosing ways to give gifts in unique ways that become more interactive and practical. The best part of gifting differently is the surprise and delight to share ways to get more connected to your community and spread good cheer.
Favorite Things Party/Favorite Nonprofits Party
You may have participated in a favorite things party in the past where each person brings one of their favorite things for each attendee. Each attendee goes home with a bag full of every other attendee's favorite thing. It usually includes little gifts like candles, skincare, or their favorite water bottle.
This is the same concept only with nonprofit donations! This allows attendees to learn about nonprofits in their community.
Together, choose the donation amount for each guest. Each person donates that amount to the nonprofit of their choice. If there are 10 attendees, and you agreed on $10 per person, each person gives $100 to the nonprofit of their choice. Each attendee can share a PowerPoint slide or a little presentation of why they chose that nonprofit to support.
It’s a great way to learn more about the nonprofit organizations your friends support and maybe find somewhere new in your community you didn’t know about. Together, you made an impact, and each person walks away giving to many places that do good.
While there's no dearth of great nonprofit organizations in our state, our friends at Minnesota Public Radio have a special offering this holiday season. Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is providing listeners with the meaningful opportunity to pay it forward to support local families this holiday season. When you give a donation of any size to MPR, they will pay it forward by providing 15 meals to Second Harvest Heartland.
Self-Care Day
For those caught in the hustle and bustle of the end of the year and holiday season, a day to focus on relaxation and self-care is essential.
A great way to connect with others is to join a workout class. During the holiday season, many gyms and fitness spaces host workouts that benefit our community and local nonprofits.
The Sweatband Collective hosts workouts during the holiday benefiting Second Harvest Heartland, so if you are looking to sweat for a cause on Thanksgiving morning, there are two classes at 8:30AM and 10:00AM. The classes will be co-led by Steven Nicholas and Peter Elsham and cater to all levels and abilities. This event is all about joining forces, celebrating progress, and supporting our community. Get ready to break a sweat, make new friends, and have a ton of fun!
Host a Puzzle Derby Party
Each year our friends at Puzzle Twist, a local Minnesota company, hosts a virtual Puzzle Derby that benefits Second Harvest Heartland. If you’ve been thinking about joining the competitive puzzle circuit like Sarah Does Puzzles, you are in luck!
Assemble a group and compete in the remote puzzle derby! Puzzle Twist makes it easy and fun. You can choose either the 500-piece or 1,000-piece puzzles or if you want the best chance to win – do both!
They have all the instructions on their website on how to record your submission and how to submit it afterwards.
Gather a cheering section, a team, and make it into an event! This is a great family friendly way to gift your group a way to connect and compete together and give back to their neighbors.
Game Swap
The holidays are a great time to gather with loved ones—especially when it involves some friendly competition! A fun gift giving idea is a games swap: everyone picks their favorite board game to gift to another person. It’s a great way to introduce new favorites to your family and friends. Our partners at Source Comics & Games are offering some great opportunities to stock up on gifts for the comics and game lovers in your life and offered some suggestions of games that everyone would enjoy.
🎁 Boop the Halls - special holiday edition of a fan favorite!
The hoomans are hanging ornaments on the highest boughs of the tree, but those clever cats are leaping up and boopin' them right off. You can win "nice" by lining up three cats or "naughty" by knocking off three of your opponent's ornaments!
🎁 Arcs - very popular game from a local game company, Leder Games, in St. Paul.
Arcs is a sharp sci-fi strategy game for 2–4 players, set in a dark yet silly universe. Ready yourself for dramatic twists and turns as you launch into this galactic struggle.
🎁 Wyrmspan - a spinoff of the ever-popular Wingspan game, but with dragons!
You are an amateur dracologist in the world of Wyrmspan, a place where dragons of all shapes, sizes, and colors roam the skies. Excavate a hidden labyrinth you recently unearthed on your land and entice these beautiful creatures to roost in the sanctuary of your caves.
🎁 Wingspan - popular family-friendly game!
You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves.
🎁 Heat Pedal to the Metal - special expanded edition is now available!
Based on simple and intuitive hand management, Heat: Pedal to the Metal puts players in the driver's seat of intense car races, jockeying for position to cross the finish line first, while managing their car's speed if they don't want to overheat. Selecting the right upgrades for their car will help them hug the curves and keep their engine cool enough to maintain top speeds. Ultimately, their driving skills will be the key to victory!
November 29 through December 1, customers can save an extra 10% on their purchases by donating any dollar amount to Second Harvest Heartland. And December 13 through 15, Source Comics & Games are having their Holiday Jubilee Sale, where customers can not only get great gifts at a discount, they can save an extra 10% on their purchases by donating any dollar amount to Second Harvest Heartland.
The Gift of Food with a CSA share from The Good Acre
Just like us, you are able to buy food directly from the producer with The Good Acre CSA. It’s a great way to challenge your cooking and taste palate by learning more about different kinds of foods available. This will give you access to a wide variety of healthy, seasonal produce from a broad network of local, culturally diverse farmers.
By purchasing a CSA, you are supporting market access opportunities for our network of small farmers and food producers. This is important because market access empowers small farmers to earn a fair income, contribute to local economies, practice sustainable agriculture, and it helps to build connections with consumers. Supporting market access for small farmers is a crucial component of building resilient and sustainable food systems.
They also have a Holiday Gift Box filled with curated items that will make for the perfect relaxing treat, all sourced from small local farmers and makers. Share the local love with your friends and family.
Pre-Order Your Holiday Meals and Give Meals to Second Harvest Heartland
Let France 44 help you with your holiday festivities--their Holiday Meal Pre-Orders include an option to provide meals to Second Harvest Heartland.
Each year, we look forward to this menu--it celebrates the best of our local meals and cheeses and gives the talented kitchen team at France 44 the chance to shine! While you pre-order your holiday meals from an array of cheeseboards, main dishes, sides, and desserts, you have the opportunity to donate meals to those in your local community.
Eat Soup and Feel Super
Churchill St. Restaurant in Shoreview wants to keep you warm this holiday season--and what better way than to keep the chills of December away than some freshly made soup! For every cup and bowl of their seasonal soup purchased, they donate $.50 to Second Harvest Heartland's Kitchen Coalition program!
Treat Yourself to Pizza Luce
If you’re in charge of the holiday gathering meal or always making food for others, give yourself a little break while giving back. Starting on November 4th until November 24th our friends at Pizza Luce are giving back with the help of their customers. When you check out online or at their restaurants you can add $1, $2, or $3 and Pizza Luce is matching all donations up to $10,000.
All you need to do to support us is eat pizza. Yeah, really!
Replace Fear With Cheer
Can’t get enough pizza, and want to wear it too? Minneapolis-based Chef Ann Kim is selling t-shirts adorned with her famous “FU Fear” slogan, encouraging everyone to try something new this holiday season: like wearing matching family shirts, perhaps! Chef Kim is donating $20 dollars to Second Harvest Heartland for every t-shirt sold.
Make a Meal Together
Listen to the WCCO Radio 100 Years Double Album record together that can be found at your local Bachman's location and talk about moments in history or sing along to your favorite holiday songs while you make a meal together. You can always pick up a centerpiece at Bachman's and round up your purchase to the nearest dollar to support Second Harvest Heartland at their Fridley location until December 17th.
Cooking together not only passes on recipes but also creates a space for memories to be made. Recipes when shared with your found family often create a comforting feeling of being taken care of and togetherness.
If you are looking for libations for your meal together, look no further than Winterize from Surly Brewing who are donating $1 for each pack sold.
Give a Volunteer Experience
Our volunteer center slows down after the holiday season, but the need does not. We are always seeking volunteers to join us in January. Here’s the great news, you can help! Bring together and plan a volunteer day for your friends and family. It’s a great way to not only give back but to also connect with each other. Our Volunteer Team has some great playlists!
Afterwards there are places nearby our Brooklyn Park headquarters you can eat and drink together:
This cocktail room is one of the best in the Twin Cities. If you haven’t been here yet you are going to step into a whole new world. Get reservations ahead of time because hours are limited. This family-owned business is always changing up their menu.
This authentic family-owned Vietnamese restaurant has the cozy comfort food you are looking for before or after a volunteer shift. This is a favorite of Second Harvest Heartland staff.
The perfect group meal is hot pot. Hot pot is a communal meal typically involving a pot of simmering, seasoned broth and ingredients—thinly sliced meats, noodles, mushrooms, shrimp, vegetables. It’s so much more than a meal, it’s an experience.
Our friends at Thrillest have a great guide to hot pot.
Authentic soul food from family business named after their mother. If you are looking for a hearty, rib sticking meal after all the work you’ve done volunteering this is the place for you. With nice portions, and great side options Angela’s is a favorite of the Second Harvest Heartland team.
Tacos are delicious and there are some good ones right in Second Harvest Heartland’s neighborhood.
However you celebrate this holiday season, know that families across the region are doing the same thanks to the support of you and our partners. Happy Holidays and best wishes for a wonderful 2025!