As Donations Surge Elsewhere, North Loop Agencies See Drops
While the outpouring of donations for north and south Minneapolis has been inspiring in the aftermath of all the unrest, there are local non-profits whose accounts are seeing a bit of a dip.
YouthLink is at 41 N 12th St
YouthLink, which provides services to people experiencing homelessness, ages 16-24, has seen its expenses increase during the current pandemic. They’ve had to buy computers to do case management remotely, as well as purchase sanitizing equipment and partitions for their drop-in center. And they can now have no more than ten people in that center at a time as a social distancing measure, so they’ve dispatched a “mobile drop-in” downtown, offering food and hygiene from a van.
While they take donations of money on their website, they’ve also posted a list of items on Facebook that people could drop off at their facility’s parking lot (41 N 12th St.) on June 5th, 8th and 9th from 1-3 pm.
And they’re holding a BBQ fundraiser with food trucks in the parking lot on Wednesday, June 10th, 11:00am-2:30pm. The public is invited to attend.
Great River Landing at 813 N 5th St
Meanwhile, there’s a steady need for donations as well at Great River Landing, the housing and training facility for men who’ve been recently incarcerated and/or experienced long-term homelessness. It’s operated by the non-profit Better Futures Minnesota.
The facility opened on 5th Street North last August with room for 72 men, and has regular needs for non-perishable foods—canned or individually wrapped, bath towels, bedding sheets and pillows, pots and pans, and personal hygiene items like soap, deodorant, hand sanitizer and toothbrushes.
Yorrick Byers (former NDSU linebacker)
Yorrick Byers, the housing manager, said the donations come and go in waves, but he’s seeing a bigger dip than usual at the moment. Great River Landing provides help not only with housing but also job training, coordinating public assistance, mental health assessments and life skills training to help the men re-enter society.
If you’re able to donate, just set up a drop-off with Byers by calling 218-393-1212.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop Neighborhood Association