Nonprofits value social responsibility, community, justice and hope. Online, many of those groups have expressed solidarity with those seeking justice for the killing of George Floyd.
As protests continue, nonprofits, the organizations who tirelessly give to our neighbors, were caught in the crossfire. Within minutes, decades of history were erased as property burned. Windows were smashed.
Time and time again, Minnesotans are so generous. They help their neighbors. They share a mission to make this state an incredible place to live.
If you know of a nonprofit damaged that is not listed below, please contact me. I work for a nonprofit and this is a topic that makes me incredibly emotional.
Please support our nonprofit partners. Stay safe.
Ananya Dance Theatre
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Ananya creates original dance theater, drawing on social justice themes inspired by the lives and stories of women around the globe.
- According to their Facebook page, a street-side window was shattered along University Avenue at Ananya Dance Theatre’s Shawngram Institute for Performance & Social Justice in Saint Paul.
- Click here to donate.
Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota
- Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota provides job training, education and job placement services to people in our community.
- Their Saint Paul store was broken into and affected by neighboring fires. In addition, their Gina + Will store was also affected and remains closed.
- Goodwill-Easter Seals also evacuated several store and service locations as a precautionary measure on Thursday.
- Click here to donate.
MIGIZI
- MIGIZI acts as a circle of support that nurtures the development of Native American youth in order to unleash their creativity and dreams – to benefit themselves, their families and community.
- There is significant damage to their space in terms of possessions and infrastructure.
- “The best way to help MIGIZI is to help pray for our community and the Nation at hand.”
- According to the organization, if people wish to help with reconstruction, they gladly and graciously accept that as well.
- Click here to donate.
Minnesota Transitions Charter School
- Minnesota Transitions Charter School is a tuition-free, public school, offering brick-and-mortar along with online options for students in grades K-12. One campus, P.E.A.S.E., is a transitional school for teenagers coming out of treatment.
- According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the school was looted and experienced water damage.
- MTCS is in Minnehaha Center, the strip mall next to the Target on Lake Street which was one of the first businesses to be looted.
- Click here to donate.
Open Door Learning Center
- The Open Door Learning Center has been serving immigrants and refugees in the Twin Cities for years.
- According to their Facebook page, officials know many of the buildings surrounding their location on Lake Street are decimated.
- Click here to donate.
Springboard for the Arts
- Springboard is working towards a day when every artist in the US has access to the tools they need to make a living and a life and impact their community, and where every community in the US has access to their local creative capacity.
- According to their Facebook page, Springboard’s offices and community hall on University Avenue were impacted by property damage and fire on May 28.
- Click here to donate.
In addition to the above nonprofits, the Minneapolis Central Library on Nicollet Mall experienced smashed windows and graffiti and the East Lake Library experienced burned books and a lot of mess.
Helping the Helpers
The impromptu food drives to help Minneapolis residents now without grocery stores is incredibly heartwarming. Organizations are overwhelmed by the response and need time to distribute and sort goods.
Remember that cash donations have a longer shelf life to a nonprofit and can be used at a moment’s notice.
The Sheridan Story, an amazing organization already providing meals to children in Minneapolis, asks that you give to your local food shelf. If you would like to make a monetary donation to The Sheridan Story, click here.
Check the following Facebook pages for ongoing updates on how you can best help:
- The Open Door (Eagan)
- The Sheridan Story (Minneapolis
The City of Minneapolis is managing donations of food, cleaning supplies, homemade masks and more. They have webpages for those looking to donate items and request items.
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