Twin Cities Community Response &
Action Hub

The situation across the Twin Cities and Minnesota is complex and rapidly evolving. Violent federal immigration enforcement has created fear, disrupted daily life, and affected immigrant families and local businesses — and our community feels the impact.

Now is the time to act. Each of us has a role to play in supporting our neighbors and strengthening our community. Whether you can volunteer, donate, support immigrant-owned businesses, or participate in peaceful civic action, your contribution matters.

Explore the opportunities here, step forward in ways that align with your skills and values, and help build a safer, stronger, and more resilient Twin Cities for everyone.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are thousands of ways to take action right now. The most urgent needs — like delivering food or essential supplies — are immediate and visible, but other critical needs continue to grow. Supporting seniors experiencing isolation, mentoring youth navigating challenging circumstances, assisting families with childcare or education, and helping local nonprofits sustain their ongoing programs are just a few of the ways volunteers can make a lasting impact.

You can explore thousands of opportunities through our Opportunity Database, which provides various ways to take direct, hands-on action to support neighbors, families, and organizations responding to the evolving needs of our community.

We ask for patience and understanding as organizations respond. Many nonprofits are moving as quickly as they can while navigating limited capacity and an overwhelmingly kind and generous influx of volunteer interest. Response times may be slower than usual, and that’s a reflection of care, not lack of need.

If you’re hoping to plan a large-scale volunteer event or engage a group, please consider reaching out directly to HandsOn Twin Cities. Our team can help coordinate efforts, identify the right opportunities, and ensure that volunteer energy is directed where it will be most effective and sustainable.

Fund Community Response Efforts

While time and essential items are critical, donating money right now has an outsized impact. Financial contributions allow organizations to respond in real time to rapidly changing needs, whether that’s purchasing food, hygiene supplies, baby formula, or pet food, or providing emergency assistance such as rental support, utility help, or other critical services. Cash donations give nonprofits flexibility to fill gaps as new needs emerge, cover unexpected costs, and scale programs quickly to reach more people. Supporting organizations financially also strengthens their ability to sustain staff, coordinate volunteers, and maintain the infrastructure needed to serve the community efficiently and safely during this challenging time. Your dollars go further than you might imagine, helping neighbors and families weather both immediate and longer-term impacts of this crisis.

There are countless organizations across the Twin Cities and Minnesota that could benefit from financial contributions right now. From local nonprofits providing food and essential supplies to those offering legal support, housing assistance, or programs for youth and seniors, every donation helps strengthen the services and programs that keep our community resilient. To explore the many valuable organizations and causes closest to your heart, visit GiveMN.org and consider supporting the ones that matter most to you.

Provide Essential Supplies

Access to basic necessities has become more difficult for many families across the Twin Cities and Minnesota as fear, disruption, and safety concerns limit people’s ability to leave their homes or go to work. Essential items like food, hygiene and dental care products, household supplies, baby formula, diapers, and pet food are often the first needs to arise — and the hardest for families to replace quickly.

Providing essential supplies helps meet immediate, practical needs and allows community organizations and mutual aid efforts to respond quickly and with dignity. These contributions support families, seniors, and caregivers in maintaining health, stability, and routine during an uncertain time, and ensure that help reaches people in ways that are tangible, respectful, and impactful.

We also recognize that community organizations and mutual aid groups do not have unlimited storage space or staffing capacity to receive and sort donations. To ensure that contributions are helpful—not overwhelming—we ask groups, teams, or corporate partners interested in making in-kind donations or organizing kitting projects to reach out to the organization in advance.

If you’re considering a substantial group donation or service project for your company, please reach out to Tracy Nielsen at tracy@handsontwincities.org. This helps us align efforts with real-time needs, distribute supplies thoughtfully, and avoid placing undue burden on any one organization.

Support Local and Immigrant-Owned Businesses

Many small, locally owned businesses — especially those run by immigrant entrepreneurs and staffed by immigrant workers — are feeling the effects of the ongoing federal immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities and across Minnesota. Fear and uncertainty have led customers and workers to stay home, staffing shortages have intensified, and some restaurants, shops, and services have had to shorten hours or close entirely amid safety concerns and reduced foot traffic. This disruption not only affects business owners’ livelihoods, but it also weakens the economic and cultural fabric of our neighborhoods at a time when community support matters most.

Supporting local and immigrant-owned businesses — by shopping, ordering takeout, buying gift cards, or spreading the word — helps keep these vital community spaces open and signals that our city values all of the people and cultures that make it thrive. Every dollar spent locally strengthens economic resilience and affirms that our community stands with its neighbors through difficult times.

Right now, small, everyday acts of support can make a big difference. Many families, seniors, and neighbors are staying home out of fear or necessity, facing challenges accessing food, household supplies, or even social connections. Offering your time, skills, or presence — from checking in on someone isolated, helping carry groceries, sharing reliable information, or assisting with errands — can provide immediate relief, comfort, and reassurance. These basic gestures help reduce stress, strengthen community bonds, and show people that they are not facing this alone. In times of uncertainty, neighbor-to-neighbor support is both powerful and essential.

Support Your Neighbors

Learn and Educate Yourself

Taking time to learn and understand what is happening helps build empathy, reduce harm, and strengthen our collective response. This includes listening to voices from impacted communities and local leaders, and learning about the immigration processes, policies, and systems that shape people’s lived experiences. It also means grappling with the broader history of the United States and the systemic inequities—rooted in race, power, and access—that have led to moments like this. Staying informed through multiple credible sources allows us to move beyond headlines, challenge misinformation, and show up for our neighbors with greater care, humility, and accountability.

Our partners at Minnesota Council of Nonprofits have put together a list of resources for nonprofits and more information about your rights and how to take action. Learn more here.

Additional Resources:

We recognize that there are many grassroots groups, mutual aid efforts, and informal community responses doing critical work that are not reflected on this page, and we encourage people to support those efforts in ways that feel right and accessible to them. The organizations highlighted here are primarily 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners, which allows us to share opportunities that meet certain accountability, safety, and coordination standards while making it easier for volunteers and donors to engage at scale. This list is not comprehensive and cannot fully capture the breadth of care and action happening across our community. If your nonprofit would like to be added, please contact Katie at katie@handsontwincities.org. All nonprofits are welcome to post volunteer needs for free through our Opportunity Database. This community is truly remarkable—and we are better together.