Many years ago (12 years to be exact!), I shared a unique, affordable option for buying groceries in Minnesota called “Fare for All.” And I’m sharing again because I continue to use this great resource for buying meat and produce for less!
Fare for All is a cooperative purchasing program. They buy fruits, vegetables and meat in bulk from wholesalers, manufacturers and growers to save you up to 40% off grocery store prices.
It’s open to everyone (no income restrictions), Fare for All supports the Emergency Foodshelf Network and it’s like a co-op: the more people who use it, the more people save! So there’s no scarcity here. The more people who shop here, the more everyone benefits.
Fare for All has 30+ pop-up sites around Minnesota where people can go and buy boxes of produce and meat. They also have special themed boxes like holiday boxes with a turkey.
Years ago they had a warehouse sale as well but their warehouse has only been open occasionally for a pop-up sale.
This week I went to a pop-up site in New Hope and bought a Holiday Pack and a Mega Meat Pack.
The Holiday Pack was $35 and included:
- LOCAL Whole Turkey – Ferndale – 10-12lbs
- LOCAL Chicken Drums – Kadejan – 1.25lb
- Sage Pork Sausage – 1lb
- Italian Meatballs – 16oz
- Green Beans – 12oz
- Pumpkin Pie – 24oz
The Mega Meat Pack was $25 and included:
- Pork Brats – 1 lb
- Pub Burgers – 2 lbs
- Chicken Tenders – 1 lb
- Pork Loin – 1 ct
- Ground Beef – 1 lb
- Bacon – 1 lb
- LOCAL Pork Breakfast Sausage – 1 lb
There were other packs like a Mini Meat Pack for $11 and a Produce Pack for $10.
Everything is frozen and prepackaged in a box.
All you do is go in, check on a form which boxes you want, bring them to the cashier, pay for them, and volunteers load up your boxes in a cart. Then they wheel the cart out to your car and load it up for you!
They take various forms of payment: cash, credit, debit, and EBT cards. They do not take checks.
You don’t have to sign up in advance or anything. Just show up!
Thanksgiving and Holiday Boxes
If you are looking for a way to save on Thanksgiving or other holiday meals at home, consider buying a box from Fare for All!
More info
Find a site near you and learn more on their website.
Lisa Olson says
We tried it in the past and found that the meats were expired. Was that your experience as well?
TC Frugal Mom says
Good question! Most of the meat I got wasn’t expired. Most don’t expire until 2025. Two were recently expired (one in August 2024) but they were all frozen so I think they freeze them by the expiration date. I have this same experience at Mike’s Discount Foods. Some items are expired but they’re frozen before that point so they’re still good. I usually avoid expired to be safe but I have never had issues with meats or items at these places. Plus, you can eat a lot of food options after they expire, particularly if frozen. The USDA says that food dates are for “quality, not safety.” I think it’s a personal preference so if recently expired is ok with you, then I think it’s a good deal here.