Our Daily Bread Food Shelf at Shepherd of the Valley Church in Apple Valley recently became the second 360 Communities food shelf to transform into a healthy SuperShelf! The SuperShelf pilot study was developed in partnership by HealthPartners, Valley Outreach, The Food Group, University of Minnesota Extension and Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. It aims to transform food shelves, creating appealing shopping environments for customers to access healthy food.

Our Daily Bread volunteers recently unveiled their new healthy food signage and food shelf layout, made possible by grant money. As with our Burnsville Food Shelf, data will be collected about the quantities and distribution of healthy food to customers. The changes in food shelf layout incorporate behavioral economic principles that promote more healthy food choices.  It also creates increased access to a variety of healthy options and culturally appropriate foods. The goal is to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice for both the food shelf and the food shelf customer.

After the first year of the SuperShelf pilot, the Burnsville Food Shelf saw a 78% reduction in spending on unhealthy food items, while reducing overall food shelf costs by 20%! Transforming to a SuperShelf has made a healthy difference for our food shelf customers and has also stretched donation dollars.