It takes a village, not just to raise a child, but to feed children especially when the safety nets (like school meals) are compromised.
Ecolibrium3, the Salvation Army and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northland are stepping up to make sure kids have meals and snacks now that it's spring break.
Information on how you can help the Boys & Girls Clubs provide for our local kids is here.
Imagine asking for help now, in this state of emergency, when you've asked for help before and been discriminated against because of your sexual orientation and/or gender identity?
What if you've lost your job due to COVID-19 but can't use the food shelf because the ID you're required to provide isn't up to date due to your transitioning?
Twin Ports Queer/Trans Community Care is a grassroots mutual aid network made up of LGBTQ2+ and allies, started last month in response to community needs emerging around the COVID-19 pandemic.
And they're looking for volunteers to help transgender/nonbinary/gender non-conforming, gay, lesbian and bisexual folks, as well as other vulnerable populations, during this uncertain time, when it may be even harder for them to access help and resources. More information about the group, how to request help, how to volunteer help and more is available here.
When Duluth-Superior college students, say, 100 years from now, start researching "COVID-19 pandemic northeastern Minnesota," chances are they won't be looking only for statistics.
What people are usually looking for, when they're researching historical materials, is some sense of personal connection and a way to see what people of the time were thinking and feeling.
With that in mind, the University of Minnesota Duluth's Archives and Special Collections has started work on the Northeastern Minnesota COVID-19 Community Archive Project.
You can read the description below for some of the things they're looking for.
And if you're interested in submitting materials, here is the link for that: Northeastern Minnesota COVID-19 Community Archive Project Submission Form
Some examples of items that could be included in the archive are: A sign, social media post, or video created for your business directing customers to practice social distancing, or explaining your altered business model; a recording of a musical or spoken word event shared online during this time; photographs of scenes from around your community, such as empty shelves in the grocery store, or people in your neighborhood talking to each other while standing six feet apart; materials from your place of worship explaining the move to online services; photographs of public art, such as chalk art on sidewalks, or paper hearts posted in windows; homeschool schedules or other daily routines; your own journal entries (written, audio, or video) documenting your quarantine experience.
