The city’s project focuses on about eight blocks of road in an area north of Broadway Street and east of Monroe Street, where many of the roads were last rebuilt more than 100 years ago.

Long ago, it was an area where lightbulbs, heating equipment, mattresses and other items were manufactured. Its old warehouses have since become occupied by artists, who moved in after being displaced by development in the North Loop, and a smattering of breweries, eateries and other public spaces.

Anna Becker, the executive director of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, said this artist enclave is one of the few in the U.S. to be zoned industrial and not anchored by a big museum or gallery.

“It’s very rare,” she said.

Quincy Street is perhaps the best-known stretch in the area and is an example of what makes it a challenge to redevelop. A small collection of spots for drinks and food, along with a gym, runs next to artist workspaces, which field supply deliveries on a regular basis.

That means trucks are often in the area and foot traffic is not heavy, residents said. There are no sidewalks for much of the block, and vehicles are forced to drive slow because the road is narrow, uneven and patchy with brick.

Theresa Jones was one of roughly 2,000 people who stopped by Union Gospel Mission this week for a free turkey and bag of groceries. In recent years, the turkey pickup has become part of how she makes it through the holiday.

“Since COVID, it’s been really getting stressful,” said Jones, 62, of Inver Grove Heights, who can’t always keep up with the costs of rent, food and the car she needs to get to her St. Paul job. “I was considered median-income and now I’m considered low-income, because I can’t afford nothing.”

The number of people struggling to afford to eat has climbed over the past decade and Minnesota is on track for its third consecutive year of record-breaking visits to food shelves. The state is poised to see close to 9 million food shelf visits by the end of this year, about 1.5 million more visits than last year. Rising prices have driven more people, particularly seniors, to seek help.

This week, Gov. Tim Walz announced the state will use $5 million in remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to help food shelves that are straining to meet the high demand. The COVID-era act provided resources communities needed to bounce back from the pandemic, he said, and the state has to commit any remaining dollars before the end of the year.

“That recovery still continues for many families,” Walz said. “They are still behind, they are still trying to make do.”

Food shelves will get the money early next year, said Sophia Lenarz-Coy, executive director of the Food Group, a Twin Cities nonprofit that will distribute the dollars.

The sharp growth in food costs that walloped families during the pandemic slowed this year. Food prices overall are expected to increase 2.3% in 2024, and food from grocery stores and supermarkets — not including restaurant purchases — is only supposed to climb 1.2%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.