Mother helping families at Minneapolis elementary school during ICE raids

ICE in MN: Mother helping families in Minneapolis

In the wake of ICE raids across Minnesota, one mother is raising money, collecting donations and helping deliver necessities to families at an elementary in north Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Destiny Prosper is raising money, collecting donations and helping deliver necessities to families at Jenny Lind Elementary in north Minneapolis.

Turning idea into action

The backstory:

With ICE presence continually increasing in Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools officials are giving students the option to learn from home for the next month. The district made that decision with student safety in mind after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

Destiny Prosper’s daughter is a student at Jenny Lind Elementary School in north Minneapolis. She said she noticed many students hadn’t been to school, and when Destiny’s daughter said her friends weren’t in class, Destiny said it was heartbreaking.

"Even though my child isn’t directly affected, her friends aren’t there. She’s noticing ‘Mom, where’s so-and-so? They didn’t come to school?’ And, it hurts that I have to have that conversation with my 6-year-old," she said.

Destiny said she knows many families at the elementary school are from lower income homes or from immigrant families.

"Families are struggling to put dinner on the table, and then we add the increased ICE presence here in the Twin Cities. Folks are afraid to leave their homes, and they’re not getting their basic needs met and now our kids can’t go to school out of fear," she said.

Why you should care:

Destiny is active at the school and knows many of the families personally. She said several students rely on the free breakfasts and lunches during the week. Now that they’re not at school, she’s worried about the children and wanted to help.

With that in mind, she decided to start a GoFundMe fundraiser to help. She told FOX 9 the money will be used to buy necessities for families or be distributed to families based on what their needs are.

Destiny is also collecting other donations like gift cards. She plans to deliver necessities and donations to Jenny Lind Elementary families in need.

"You are a part of our community. I think that’s the biggest thing is these families are feeling singled out. They’re feeling like they don’t belong. One thing I’ve learned being in the great state of Minnesota and in Minneapolis is we all belong here," Destiny said.

Despite some of the negative comments she’s gotten from the public about starting this effort, she said it doesn’t phase her. To Destiny, being a mother, this isn’t about politics.

"This is for the kids. We’ve gotten this far. There’s no turning back now. No turning back now," she said.

Paying it forward

What you can do:

Destiny said she wanted to help these families because she remembers how the community stepped up to lend a hand to her when she was in need during the unrest following George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis.

"During that time, I needed help, so I was able to utilize and reach out to different organizations in my community and get help during that time and that’s probably what sparked the idea in my mind. I’m like our families need help. We just need a voice to say help us," she said.

Destiny is encouraging people to help if they’re able to. You can do so through a GoFundMe campaign that has been created.

You can also reach out to her on Facebook or email if you’d like to volunteer to drop off items or donate other items.