Minnesotans are turning their grief into action after Wednesday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School in south Minneapolis.
Two children — Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10 — died at the scene from gunshot wounds. Eighteen more kids, ages 6 to 15, were injured, as well as three parishioners in their 80s.
Here’s how to get involved and help the victims and families of the Annunciation Church shooting.
Donate funds
The Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund, created by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF), will support various needs of the church and school, as well as those affected by the tragedy.
“We know there will be an outpouring of support for the Annunciation community,” CCF President Anne Cullen Miller said in a statement. “That comes with a heavy administrative burden. By creating the Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund, CCF takes on the work of processing and acknowledging gifts, freeing parish staff to focus on what matters most right now: its mission and ministries.”
The Minneapolis Foundation is supporting this effort with its text-to-give function, and all donations will be distributed to the Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund.
To donate, the public can text ACF1 to 41444.
Give blood
Blood shortages often emerge in the summer. The St. Paul-based Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) declared an emergency earlier this month when it had only a two-day inventory on hand.
