Donate to the Northfield Community Action Center!

Monetary Donations

Donations of money to the CAC are used according to each donor’s intentions. Cash contributions do not simply “throw money at a problem;” rather, the CAC utilizes such gifts to support working solutions to the economic or personal crisis faced by local people. And depending on the program, non-cash donations are also welcome. Please find below a brief introduction to some of the programs that accept such contributions.

Online monetary donations to the CAC are readily made via the Internet from the convenience of your home. All the information requested is completely secure; 100% of your “gift” supports agency operations.

Christmas Sharing

Each year, the Northfield community draws closer together to “Share the Joy” and spirit of the season with each other through the United Christmas Sharing program.

The United Christmas Sharing program provides a variety of holiday gifts to children in the Northfield area who may need some extra care. Many residents have helped to make this possible in past years; you can help again this year.

Donate Money : The annual fundraising goal for United Christmas Sharing is $20,000. Cash gifts are used to meet specific needs and fill the gaps. Checks can be made out to: Northfield CAC - Christmas Sharing, 1651 Jefferson Parkway, Suite HS-200, Northfield, MN 55057.

Donate Gifts: New unwrapped gifts can be dropped off in designated donation boxes at local churches, banks, stores, or at the CAC.

Donate Time: Volunteers are central to the success of this program.

If you know of anyone who should be invited to participate in Christmas Sharing, please call the CAC at 664-3550 for eligibility information, or review our income and residency guidelines.

CAAR Program

Do you have a road-worthy car you do not need any longer? The CAC accepts vehicles that are in good working order as charitable donations. The cars are then given to CAC eligible clients with no other transportation options and who meet specific criteria, such as needing a car to get to work, school, or medical appointments. Contact the CAC Program Director at 507.664.3558 with your questions.

Clothes Closet Donations

The Northfield CAC operates a retail thrift store that accepts donations of gently used clothing, shoes, linens and small houseware items year round. The thrift store is located on the first floor of the Northfield Community Resource Center and is open to the general public. Households registered for CAC services receive a 25% discount on their purchases.

DONATION DROP-OFF

Donations are accepted Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.

The donation drop off is located in the Northfield Community Resource Center human services wing at 1651 Jefferson Parkway on the east side of the two-story building. You can drive right up to the door and ring the doorbell; someone will be there to greet you and accept your donation.

DONATION GUIDELINES

Please make sure the donations you bring to the Clothes Closet are freshly washed or cleaned and are in excellent condition.
Please bring clothing donations that are appropriate for the current season.
Please do NOT bring more than five bags or boxes of donations at one time.
Please do NOT bring left over garage sale items.
Please do NOT ever leave donations outside of the building.

For more specific information about what sorts of donations are accepted, please call the CAC Clothes Closet, 664-3580.

Food Donations

Hunger in a community affects everyone. When neighbors work together to eliminate hunger, the nourishment provided goes far beyond food. Together, we can and do make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors who do not have enough to eat in our community.

Hunger knows no season. The Northfield CAC Food Shelf program accepts donations of food and money year round.

During the month of March each year the CAC participates in the state-wide MN FoodShare campaign when churches, community service groups, students, businesses and other groups creatively collect money and food. In 2003, 79,934 dollars and pounds of food was collected!

The CAC is a member of our regional Second Harvest Food Bank, an organization that accepts huge quantities of donated food from corporations, obtains commodities from the federal government, and warehouses both for food shelves. The CAC is able to stretch donated dollars by purchasing food from the food bank: many items can be purchased for 8 - 22 cents per pound. This means the CAC can purchase 12/16 oz. cans of fruit or 6/32 oz. bags of rice for only $1.00!

Donate Money : Cash donations are used to purchase food at 22 cents per pound. Checks can be made out to: Northfield CAC - Food Shelf, 1651 Jefferson Parkway, Suite HS-200, Northfield, MN 55057.

Donate Food: For a complete list of food items needed, please refer to “Food”.

Donate Time: Volunteers are central to the success of this program.