Women and families hardest hit: Feeding Our Future collateral damage report No. 6

In the aftermath of the Feeding Our Future scandal, this series has been documenting the fallout among unrelated food charities. Not only was Feeding Our Future shuttered by state authorities, so were hundreds of local food nonprofits who never did business with FOF. We profile another group in this post.

Specifically, we include a group of nonprofits doing business with the other network shut down by the state’s Department of Education: Partners in Nutrition (PIN), d/b/a Partners in Quality Care. Here are the PIN nonprofits with the word “women” or “family” in the name.

Previously, we covered nonprofits with “Youth” in the name. The above women and family-oriented nonprofits represented capacity to feed up to 25,000 children per day. They were cut off when MDE shut down Partners in Nutrition in the wake of the unrelated FBI raids on Feeding Our Future back in January.

With only two exceptions, the nonprofits listed above did not do business with Feeding Our Future. Not one of the above has been named in any FBI search warrants or indictments in the case. None have been accused of any wrongdoing.

Some of these nonprofits have been around for years, with well-developed track records. Of the 18 listed above, 8 were founded in 2021.

Partners in Nutrition is suing MDE for reinstatement into the program. Among the local nonprofits on their list includes: Adens Family Foundation, African Community Family Service, Building Family Foundation, Family Wellness Cares, Haldoor Women and Youth Health, Somali Family Services, Somali Women Advocacy, Somali Youth and Family Development, Women and Youth Empowerment, Women Child Safe Center, and Women Economic Development Center. Several of these nonprofits have not previously hosted food-distribution sites within the program.

PIN is separately suing MDE for the payments of hundreds of invoices, going back to late 2021. Of the nonprofits listed above, the following have pending unpaid invoices at MDE: African Community Family Service, Somali Women Fashion Foundation, Women and Youth Community Action, and Women Economic Development Center.

Regarding that last nonprofit, MDE is refusing to pay an invoice because it claims that the nonprofit’s owner also owns the food vendor.

Two of these nonprofits had operations at 393 Dunlap St. in St. Paul. We profiled that address in this post.