Minneapolis nonprofits: Need still urgent for food donations to help families affected by riots

A plea for 85 bags of food for Minneapolis families in need drew an unprecedented response from people wanting to help, filling more than a dozen semitrailer trucks with bags. Less than a week later, it's all gone.

On Friday, nonprofit leaders said there's an urgent need for more help after nearly 30,000 bags of food collected at Sanford Middle School on Sunday were distributed to families in need by Minneapolis Public Schools and The Sheridan Story, a Roseville nonprofit.

"This is something that is pretty unprecedented, especially on top of COVID," said Rob Williams, executive director of the Sheridan Story. "It needs an unprecedented response."

People can drop off donations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sheridan Story at 2723 Patton Road in Roseville (and again during weekdays). The biggest needs: nonperishable canned food, rice and pasta as well as diapers and wipes, feminine hygiene products and baby formula.

The nonprofit redistributes the food to 25 other organizations that are serving people in need, trying to fill the void left by Target, Cub Foods and other stores shuttered in Minneapolis and St. Paul due to damage from last week's riots. The YWCA in Midtown, for instance, is serving 6,600 bags of food a week while Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis is serving 4,500 bags of food a week.

"There's families and kids in these communities that still need our support and help," Williams said. "The need isn't going away."