- A place where people come hungry and leave hopeful.
Founded in 1971 by Pastor William Berg with seed funding from Tre Lund, CES began as an outreach ministry of Augustana Lutheran Church, offering vital support to neighbors in Minneapolis. Over the decades, CES has grown into a trusted, nonprofit that remains rooted in the community it serves. Today, CES reaches nearly 150,000 neighbors each year through our Food Market, one of Minnesota’s largest Meals on Wheels program, and Ani-Meals program.
Based in the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in Minneapolis, CES remains deeply connected to the community it serves. Our staff and volunteers are on the frontlines every day, providing nutritious food, compassionate support, and a welcoming presence to a multi-generational, multicultural, and low-income neighbors. We meet our neighbors where they are—offering assistance without barriers, and always with dignity, respect, and understanding.
Rooted in God’s loving grace -Community Emergency Service (CES) transforms lives by serving neighbors, sharing resources, and becoming a community – a place where people come hungry and leave hopeful.
CES meets hunger where the need is greatest — bringing food directly to those who face the most barriers. We foster a sense of community among neighbors, recognizing that lasting relief from hunger and poverty is built through connection, dignity, and shared support. We partner with community-based organizations to help individuals move toward stability and independence—because no one should face hunger alone.
We serve in a neighborhood rich in cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity. We strive to support all neighbors in need, as Christ would have us do—without distinction or test. We welcome volunteers and donors of all backgrounds and actively collaborate with partner organizations, regardless of religious affiliation.
As people of deep faith we long for a day when no one is living without hope or health and so we dedicate ourselves to wholeness in each individual – wholeness of body, mind and spirit. When caring people come together to serve one another, there exists a Sacred Community.
Our clients are our neighbors and they deserve our unconditional love and acceptance, as we seek to earn theirs.
We provide food to our hungry neighbors; we provide hope, encouragement and a caring human presence. We seek to serve in a Christ-like manner all that come to CES in need of physical, emotional or spiritual sustenance.
We are good stewards of the opportunity that has been given to us to enrich our own lives and the lives of others through generous service and the spiritual connection that binds all children of God.
We seek to collaborate with other organizations and individuals in our greater community that we may better provide a network of support for our neighbors in need, empowering them on their journey toward self-sufficiency and independence.