Six Twin Cities food co-ops are donating $28,700 to Twin Cities Pride’s safety fund, helping to close a remaining gap left by the end of the festival’s longstanding partnership with Target.
The donation follows Minneapolis-based Target’s decision last month to scale back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which led Twin Cities Pride to cancel its sponsorship agreement with the retailer after 18 years.
Different fundraising campaigns have since closed the gap left by the sponsorship, resulting in more than $90,000 in pledges.
The six food cooperatives — Eastside, Wedge, Seward, Valley Natural, Lakewinds and Mississippi Market — said in a joint statement shared on Instagram: “As community-owned cooperative grocers, we’ve always been spaces where every member of our vibrant neighborhoods can find a sense of belonging, friendship, safety, and of course, delicious local food!”
They confirmed to the Minnesota Star Tribune that they will donate the money.
Andi Otto, executive director of Twin Cities Pride, said the funding will go toward independent security along the parade route. He also plans to partner with Sequeerity, a Minneapolis-based de-escalation team.
Otto said Pride appreciates that the co-ops are not big organizations and the fact they banded together for the donation “was enough to bring me to tears.”
The Twin Cities has long been considered the epicenter of the co-op movement, with a deep-rooted history in cooperative ownership and community-driven business models. While the number of co-ops has fluctuated over the years, their core values — member ownership, community investment, sustainability and education — remain unchanged.
