North Minneapolis Food Bank Faces Van Repairs, Theft As Demand Shifts

A Minneapolis food nonprofit is asking for logistics and refrigeration help as it heads into its busiest fundraising season.

Michael Tankenoff, executive director of Loaves & Fishes, said his organization's meal programs and food rescue operations now run in parallel, each demanding staff time, trucks, cold storage and equipment. The group's St. Matthew's site has served roughly 7,500 meals in a single month, and a refrigerated van that sits idle stops the pickup of perishable donations. Catalytic converters were stolen from the organization's vehicles in back-to-back months, Tankenoff said.

Tankenoff said the North Minneapolis warehouse supports community distribution, meal sites and partner nonprofits, and that changing demand alters refrigeration, transportation and space requirements. A donation only counts if the group can receive it safely and move it where it belongs, he said.

Much of what Loaves & Fishes serves comes from rescued food, which Tankenoff described as valuable but unpredictable. Businesses are cutting waste and managing inventory more tightly, so surplus is harder to find in the same places. The organization now looks for food at sporting events, hotels and corporate campuses. HUB program partners, smaller nonprofits that select from available stock, see different ingredients week to week.

Tankenoff said he wants supporters to understand the work that happens behind a served meal. He asked businesses and individuals to consider what the organization needs rather than what they can give. A logistics company could improve a route or add transportation capacity, a refrigeration partner could keep equipment running, and a technology partner could help the group use data to anticipate demand, he said. Unrestricted money lets Loaves & Fishes invest where it is needed, including problems that have not surfaced yet.

Tankenoff joined Loaves & Fishes after about 15 years in consumer technology startups, including 11 years at Anova Culinary, where he worked on retail partnerships for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. He moved into nonprofit leadership in 2026. This fourth quarter he is preparing for Give to the Max Day and the giving season, and he said he is asking who the organization should talk to and where it is missing opportunities.

Give to the Max Day and the giving season are approaching.