“The donations just kept coming, and coming, and coming,” Amy Nelson, the principal of Sanford Middle School, told The Washington Post.
After school food services and public transportation were suspended across Minneapolis, Nelson realized that neighborhood families would need help. The recent damage to nearby stores had created a food desert, especially for those who didn’t own cars. Nelson and her staff put out an appeal via email and social media.
The school asked for 85 food kits--grocery staples, diapers, detergent, etc. They received 30,000. “There were miles of cars holding food, wrapped around our city blocks,” said Mara Bernick, family liaison for Sanford Middle School. The need for food was greater than anticipated, too: Hundreds of families came seeking groceries. "Families were so grateful to get the supplies they needed," Nelson said. "Tears of joy and gratitude."
“People of all backgrounds and races were picking up food and helping each other,” said Bernick. “...At Sanford Middle School, we are all about diversity and helping each other. These students see what we are doing. They are the future; they are ones who will effect change.”