FUNDRAISER UPDATE 6/1 - Hello to everyone who has continued to support us for the last FIVE months! We are deciding to close down this fundraiser so we can give ourselves a break while we focus on creating more sustainable fundraising for the future. At this time, we are taking a step back from providing the type of rent support that we have been providing these past months. We will be taking a break from monetary support for families this as we figure out our next steps.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far, we quite literally could not have done this without you. We have paid out over $1.5MILLION since we started in January! It feels very surreal for us to have made such an impact but without your support we would have never made it to this point.

Thank you to everyone who has shared, donated, and continued supporting our community in need ❤️

FUNDRAISER UPDATE 3/15 - Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far! It has been truly inspiring to receive this much support for our neighbors! At this time we have disbursed over $820,000!!! A feat we thought would be impossible, but because of your help we were able to make this dream a reality. We are also still in the process of paying out back rent for families just now connecting with us. More and more families continue to connect with us on an almost daily basis.

We are very close to our $1M goal, which will cover the remaining families on our wait list for March rent and back rent support.

After we send out all back rent funds we will have sent out $1,034,986!!! We are also hoping to continue support for families come April, which will most likely require another $500K. Please look to our social media to find out how to support us in achieving that goal.

The need is still very much there, families are still hesitant to get back to work and needing support. Even if everyone got back to work tomorrow it would take months to recuperate from the loss and trauma everyone has experienced.

We are hoping with your continued support we can reach our goals! Please keep sharing, please keep talking about what is happening here in Minnesota, and please do your best to support your neighbors in need.

If you would like to see more of what we are doing please go to our Instagram: @phillipsfreestore

Thank you for your endless support, it means the world to us and the families we are working with!

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We are a small collective of friends and community organizers working directly with families in need, and we have created this fund to directly financially support families we are currently working with primarily in the Phillips neighborhood. We are also working with our unhoused neighbors who have also been targeted who need our help just as urgently. There is an urgent need for funds as a result of the ongoing administration's attack on our immigrant community and neighbors. We are asking for your help and generosity to keep our neighbors fed, housed, and supported through these trying times. We are hoping to cover the cost of rent, utilities, groceries, medical expenses, and other financial needs these families may face in the coming weeks and months. Many of our neighbors have not been able to leave their homes or work for fear of being detained. To put it bluntly, It is simply unsafe to leave their homes.

For the sake of safety and privacy, those we are sending these funds to must remain anonymous. We are connected to specific families in need and the list is continuing to grow as the occupation of our city continues.

Receipts and proof of dispersal of funds can be requested once payments have been made or funds are sent directly to families. Again, for the sake of safety and privacy, names and identifying information will be omitted.

We are committed to helping our neighbors with dignity and respect. We are committed to helping our neighbors with love and compassion. Community is what will get us through these times, and we are asking our greater community and beyond for your support.

Mutual aid is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Many of our friends, family, and extended communities have been tirelessly supporting any way they can. If you're unable to put yourself on the line, do direct community work, or simply live out of town that is ok! It is ok to feel unsure of what to do right now, many of us feel that way. Donating directly is literally saving lives of those in our Minneapolis community. Minneapolis thanks you, Phillips neighborhood thanks you, we thank you.

With much love,

Alexandria Gomez