Keystone Community Services

Accessing Food Shelf Services

• Where do I go to receive food support?

  With the closing of our Midway and Rice Street food shelves, those needing support will visit the Keystone’s Community Food Center now to receive food support. The address for the Keystone Community Food Center is 1800 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104. Located between the Wendy’s and Arby’s on the corner of Fairview and University.

• How do I get to the Keystone Community Food Center?

  The Keystone Community Food Center is centrally located in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood at 1800 University Avenue W, St. Paul. The building is accessible by Metro Transit Green Line (Fairview stop), Metro Transit bus lines, and there is a bike rack for those coming to the center via bicycle. If you drive, there is no parking in front of Keystone’s Community Food Center along University Avenue, but you can use the parking lot in the back of the building or street parking along Beacon Avenue or other nearby streets.

  Metro Mobility buses are welcome to only drop off and pick-up participants briefly on Beacon Avenue by the garage door as there is a ramp for mobility access. As of right now, we are not able to accommodate Metro Mobility curbside pick-up on Beacon Avenue. Our Grocery Delivery program may be better suited for a participant who may need food support delivered to their home.

• What do I need to bring to use the food shelf?

  Participants are not required to bring anything with them to receive food support services. However, it is helpful if you have the date of birth for every person living in your household. An ID is very helpful for spelling and accurate record keeping; however, it is never required. Our intake process is all self-report. We encourage you to bring reusable grocery bags or other materials to carry your food.

• Is there a limit to how many people are served each day?

  As we continue transitioning into our new building, we have a current daily capacity of up to 100 households. We serve 60 households during our first daily service, and another 60 during our second daily service. We keep track of the number of households we serve by providing participants with a number while they wait to be serviced. This current capacity is temporary and will increase in the near future.

  Participants are not allowed to reserve numbers for friends, family members, or anyone needing food support.

• Can someone else shop for me?

  You may allow someone to shop on your behalf. This can be done in one of 3 ways: you can designate a specific proxy on your registration form, you may send someone with a signed note by you stating it is okay for this person to pick up your food, or you can call ahead to the food shelf to inform them verbally. The methods are listed by order of how we prefer they send someone.

• How often can you visit the Keystone Community Food Center to receive food support?

  You can only shop once per month. You do not have to wait 30 days to use your next monthly visit; as soon as the new month starts, you are eligible to shop at any time throughout the new month. Participant also receives 4 extra/emergency visits to use throughout a calendar year. You may use one of these 4 visits to shop an additional time during a month.

• It is my first time visiting the food shelf. What should I expect when I visit?

  When you arrive at the Keystone Community Food Center, you will enter in the front door on University Avenue after you have parked on the street or in our parking lot on Beacon Avenue. Once you are inside of the building, you will walk to the front desk area that is located to the right of you. The front desk staff will talk to you about the next steps regarding filling out paperwork, receiving a number, the shopping process, and more.

• Are there income limits or other restrictions to accessing food support at the Keystone Community Food Center?

  Participants must fall within the federal poverty guideline ranges in order to qualify to receive our food. We do not limit our service to people living in certain zip codes, however you must reside in the state of MN. The amount of food people can take is determined by the number of people who live in their household. Residents must show up at the designated shopping hours in order to receive food.

• I can’t make it to the Keystone Community Food Center, how can I still receive food support?

  Keystone has a free food shelf delivery program to help more seniors and adults with disabilities who have significant barriers to getting to the food shelf access food support. Those who qualify can receive monthly deliveries, dropped off by Keystone volunteers. Additionally, Keystone’s Foodmobile stops at over 30+ distribution sites throughout the month to deliver food shelf services directly to people who have transportation barriers or who live in neighborhoods that lack access to full grocery stores. Find out more about Keystone’s delivery program and Foodmobile.