Elias Usso hustled to get basic repairs done to reopen his pharmacy on Lake Street last month after it was looted and damaged in late May during the unrest following the killing of George Floyd.
Now Seward Pharmacy is getting a makeover.
It will get new shelving, floors, signage and equipment. Usso will be increasing staffing to make even more home deliveries of prescriptions and is working to get a telehealth room set up in one corner of the pharmacy.
The improvements are being funded by a $165,000 grant from Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, via the nonprofit Heart of America.
"Lake Street is our home," Usso said at an event Friday outside the pharmacy as a light snow fell. "The city of Minneapolis is our home. Minnesota is our home. We want to come back strong. Lake Street will come back strong. With your help, it's going to be a wonderful comeback. I'm so grateful."
Seward Pharmacy is one of several grant recipients as part of a $5 million commitment UnitedHealth Group made in June to support the rebuilding of the Twin Cities.
The company is also giving $1 million each to the Lake Street Council, Minnesota Community Care and the West Broadway Business & Area Coalition/Northside Funders. Neighbors United Funding Collaborative will receive $500,000.
The health care giant's employees are also volunteering and providing pro-bono consulting support to the grant recipients.