360 Communities Is Helping Minnesotans with Food and Safe Shelter Needs during COVID-19, and You Can Help

Minnesotans are stepping up and making a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I want to make sure people know about all the organizations out there doing great work and helping during this crisis and beyond. I’m profiling a different nonprofit each day to share their information and their story.

Today’s entry is 360 Communities, led by my friend and colleague Jeffrey Mortensen. Beginning in 1970, a group of local church volunteers came together to make a more significant community service impact than they could on their own. Four years later, they formalized what would become 360 Communities. Their original mission centered around meeting the personal, economic, and social needs of people in the area. As it grew, 360 Communities became the chief vehicle for social services and community organizing in northern Dakota County.

The organization focuses on three core areas. Under Violence Prevention and Intervention, it supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence with safe shelter, emotional support, safety planning, and community resources. Under School Success, its staff collaborates with educators and families to implement effective home-based strategies that increase parental involvement and improve academic performance while also working with local childcare providers and community organizations. And under Community Resources, it identifies and removes barriers to success and connects people with emergency financial aid and other resources, including a network of five food shelves and a holiday gift program.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 360 Communities has closed down all but its essential operations. All of its food shelves have shifted to prepack models with curbside pickup. Its domestic and sexual violence shelters continue to operate while limiting nonessential social exposure. Like all the other nonprofits I’ve been profiling, 360 Communities is on the front lines and continuing to do great work. Learn more about that work and how you can support it on the organization’s website.

360 Communities