How did we get here?

I wanted to include this page because if you’re going to be part of Dakota County Mutual Aid, I think it’s important to understand where it came from.

Today, we’re building a nonprofit, but the heart of this work has always been mutual aid. We absolutely believe in strong partnerships, transparency, and accountability. That’s part of why we’re becoming a nonprofit. But we also want to hold onto what made this work possible in the first place.

We didn’t start with a strategic plan, a fundraising goal, or a vision for an organization. We started by trying to help with one need. Then another need came along. Then another. Looking back, that’s really how Dakota County Mutual Aid was built.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that mutual aid isn’t just about responding to emergencies. It’s about building relationships before the crisis ever happens. It’s about listening to the people closest to the need instead of assuming we know the answers. It’s about staying flexible enough to respond to whatever our neighbors need today while building something that will still be here tomorrow.

So here’s the story.

I’ve always loved building community.

Before Dakota County Mutual Aid, I spent a lot of time organizing neighborhood gatherings and creating spaces where people could get to know each other. I’ve always believed that communities are stronger when people know each other before they need each other. Looking back, I don’t think I realized those relationships were laying the foundation for everything that came next.

The first thing that really shifted my perspective happened when SNAP benefits were delayed. I remember seeing families wondering how they were going to get through the week, so I started looking around to see who was already helping. I found The Open Door, learned they were putting together emergency food packs, and asked if people would be willing to donate snacks that we could repackage for kids.

I thought we’d get just a few donations.

Instead, people kept showing up.

Food started piling up. People volunteered to help pack bags. Friends invited friends. It reminded me that people genuinely want to help. Most of the time, they just need to know where the need is.

A little while later, immigration enforcement activity increased, and I was hearing about families in Dakota County who were afraid to leave their homes. I found organizations doing incredible work in Minneapolis, but I kept thinking,

“Our neighbors need help here too.”

That led me to La Viña. I reached out thinking they probably needed volunteers, but Pastor Miguel told me what they really needed was food that families could stretch for a while. Protein, pasta, pantry staples, and other essentials for people who were too afraid to leave home.

So I made another post.

Once again, people showed up.

Neighbors dropped food off at my house. Volunteers helped shop, sort, pack, and deliver it. Before long, we were responding to other needs too. A manufactured home community had a water main break. Community leaders told us families needed culturally familiar foods and hygiene items. Every time we listened, another opportunity to help seemed to appear.

Around that same time, I noticed something.

There were people asking, “How can I help?”

At the very same time, there were people wondering, “Where can I go for help?”

There really wasn’t one place in Dakota County connecting those two groups.

So I started a Facebook group.

That became Dakota County Mutual Aid.

It wasn’t meant to become an organization.

It was just meant to be a place where neighbors could find each other.

From there, the work kept growing. Food deliveries led to transportation. Transportation led to helping families navigate housing, connect with legal resources, and access rental assistance. We partnered with churches, schools, nonprofits, tenant leaders, donors, property managers, and volunteers. Every new relationship seemed to lead to another opportunity to help.

Looking back, I don’t think Dakota County Mutual Aid was built one project at a time.

I think it was built one relationship at a time.

Every conversation introduced us to another person who cared deeply about this community. Every new relationship made it possible to respond to another need. Before long, what started with a few people trying to help had become a network of neighbors, community leaders, churches, schools, nonprofits, and volunteers who all believed that no one should have to face hardship alone.

English: Thank you very much for your help. From the bottom of our hearts, we are grateful that you brought food to our home.

May God bless everyone who makes this possible. Thank you.

Eventually, it became obvious that this couldn’t keep running through my personal Venmo account. If this was really going to belong to the community, it needed community oversight, transparency, and a structure that people could trust.

That’s what led us to the work of building Dakota County Mutual Aid into an independent nonprofit.

For me, becoming a nonprofit was never about becoming bigger.

It was about protecting what made this work meaningful in the first place.

We wanted to keep the flexibility of mutual aid while creating a strong foundation that would allow this work to continue for years to come. We wanted people most impacted by the challenges in our community helping shape the solutions. We wanted to be able to respond as needs changed instead of being limited to one program or one type of assistance.

We know we’ll never solve every challenge our community faces.

But we also know something we’ve seen over and over again.

When people choose to help the person or family in front of them, and enough neighbors decide to do the same, entire communities become stronger.

Looking back, I still don’t think Dakota County Mutual Aid started when I created a Facebook group or when we began building a nonprofit.

I think it started the first time a neighbor said, “How can I help?” and another neighbor answered, “Here’s what we need.”

Everything since then has really just been creating more opportunities for those two people to find each other.

That’s still what we’re doing today, and I hope it’s what we’ll continue doing for many years to come.

~ Taylor Durry (Founder of Dakota County Mutual Aid)