Last month, over 3000 masked and fully armed federal agents descended into the Twin Cities area. Nothing has been the same since. Families have been hiding in fear, sheltering in place unable to attend work, school or doctor visits. US Citizens forced to carry passports around to avoid detainment. At any given moment, we could find ourselves thrust into an active violent scene where tear gas and rubber bullets are deployed. This could happen outside of a high school, the local playground, the supermarket parking lot or on the sidewalk outside of a coffee shop. No warrant, no probable cause, no legal representation and no judicial process. Legalized kidnapping of our community members happening right in front of our eyes. We are living in an occupied city and face being detained at any moment.

"Mutual aid has traditionally been an organizational model where exchanges of resources and services take place amongst community members to overcome social, economic, and political barriers."

We immediately knew what we needed to do. As children of immigrants, we recognize the responsibility we carry to defend and protect our communities. This is personal. We answered the call to action and began organizing supplies and services with the generosity of our community members. We never envisioned that this would grow so quickly. To date, we have served over 250 families and the need continues to grow. We don't know when the occupation will end, and we want to continue supplying families with household goods, medications, in-home nurse visits, transportation to run important errands and the support to continue holding hope. We've also been able to offer gifts to children who have experienced significant trauma, providing a moment of comfort amid everything they're carrying.

Please consider donating so that we can continue helping local families stay safe in their homes and have their needs met. We don't know when this occupation will end and we will continue to do this important work until the day we can all breathe of relief. This week, we have welcomed new volunteers who understand the emotional weight of this work and still choose to show up. This work is deeply personal and often incredibly difficult. There are tears shed in cars and parking lots, and hugs shared between volunteers who are absorbing the weight of these horrifying stories together. There are also hugs of gratitude, tears of relief, and raw emotion shared between volunteers and the people we serve. These are moments that stay with us.

Funds will be used to purchase groceries, household goods, gas, pay household bills, pay rent and cover any other expenses they may be facing during these uncertain times. Any excess funds will be donated to MIRAC (Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee) and MONARCA Rapid Response Line.