During times of hardship for families in Edina, their community has historically come together to support each other. Inspired by the Edina Education Fund’s COVID-19 food drive, their mission is quintessential to Edina’s strong community ties.
The Hornet Cares Fund is a subsidiary fund within the Edina Education Fund, a fund partnered with Edina Public Schools. The fund focuses on providing funding for districtwide programs and services with a focus on supporting families in Edina “facing temporary hardship” by ensuring that they have “access to school and community resources,” according to their statement on their website homepage.
The fund launched on Jan. 19, and donors can help out by donating directly through their website. The total amount raised will be updated in real time, as well as a message below reporting who donated and the amount.
“The process started months ago. There had been an ongoing discussion during the November-October timeline of, ‘How are we going to address the needs of the community?’ Over two weeks ago, community members like cultural liaisons, Edina Public School staff, district office members, [and] the director of Edina Give and Go [met and] talked about what we could do to best serve our Edina staff and families in need,” Edina Education Fund Executive Director Kathy Rendleman said.
Although the requests of people who come to the fund for help are constantly changing, most necessities, like food, toilet paper, shampoo, medicine, and even help with utility bills and rent assistance are constant needs.
Rendleman’s responsibility with the fund is to gather donations, which are then used to secure and deliver goods to those who rely on the fund.
Since the website first went up, the money donated has surpassed $45,000—just shy of its original goal of $50,000. Community volunteer and Edina Education Fund board member Nicole Meehan also had a part in the creation of the fund.
“That [donating] is something we've always done. It's something we will always do. And, I think that ethos is solid in our community; we're seeing that reflected in a myriad of ways right now in terms of how people are reaching out and helping their neighbors and strangers and saying, ‘We care, and we are going to take care of one another.’ That outpouring of support and care and just wanting to help has been really tremendous. I think we see that then translated into the Hornet Cares response in terms of the amount of dollars that have been raised for those short and long term needs,” Meehan said.
With a new goal of $100,000, the Hornet Cares Fund will continue to reach out to members of the Edina community to get families what they need in dire situations.
