Exhibit “When Minnesota Fed the Children of Europe”

During World War I, many people in Europe faced starvation due to the German occupation and British blockade. In response, the Commission for Relief in Belgium was created to help feed children and mothers in Belgium and northern France. More than half of the food aid that went to Europe was wheat and wheat flour, much of it coming from the farmers and flour mills of Minnesota. This hunger relief effort grew to become the largest humanitarian effort in history, feeding more than 150 million Europeans from France to Russia between 1914 and 1923.

In return, children from Belgium sent letters of gratitude to American children. A selection of these letters has been translated and used to create a powerful exhibit that has been shown across the United States and is now on display at the Mall of America.

Registration is not needed to view the exhibit. The exhibit is open to the public at the Mall of America – 3rd Floor North Food Hall – throughout October until November 15.