Minnetonka Rallies for Tornado Victims

The phone call for help came in on Thursday. And by Tuesday morning, a truck packed with clothes and food was on its way to Lucy Laney Elementary School in North Minneapolis.

“Since the tornado, they have been feeding and clothing their students,” said Minnetonka Schools Community Service Specialist Laurie Lokar. “They were afraid they would be forgotten…how could we say ‘No?’”

Immediately after the request was made, Lokar said, school administrators threw a plan into place—sending out text messages and emails to every Minnetonka school parent, asking for donations of summer clothes, nonperishable food, toiletries and diapers.

“We were able to really communicate the need,” Lokar said. “Sometimes everybody wants to help, but nobody knows how.”

The turn around time was tight—locals had just one weekend to clean out closets and cupboards before the Monday deadline. But when Monday came, so did the donations. By day’s end, every one of Minnetonka’s nine schools as well as the each had a lobby full of items for those in need.

Lucy Laney Elementary School will use the donations as a stockpile of sorts, to provide ongoing support to their community over the next couple of months, according to Lokar.  

“The real story is this school. It’s really a safety net for north side families,” she said Tuesday, standing amidst a sea of bags and boxes, each one neatly labeled (per request), which sat just inside the front doors of “And the response for them was overwhelming.”

What school officials received in response to their community call to action turned out to be more than just donations. The outpouring of generosity from Minnetonka parents and students was also confirmation that Minnetonka schools are succeeding in their effort to instill a spirit of service in the families within their community.  

“Our students serve the community all year round,” said Tim Sauer, an IB mathematics teacher at Minnetonka High School, who also oversees student service projects. "This is just another chance to serve."

In fact, every year seniors spend their last few days as students giving back to the community through volunteer activities all over Minnetonka. It’s an important tradition, according to administrators. 

“That’s the way our community is,” said Pam Langseth, a member of the Minnetonka School Board, who also pitched-in Tuesday. “If you have a need, we’re there.”

This isn’t the first time the Minnetonka Schools community has been “there.” Following Hurricane Katrina, they filled a semi-truck with food for those in need in Mississippi.  This week, school administrators had hoped to reach a comparable level of donations for Minnetonka’s neighbors in North Minneapolis. 

And by the truck’s second pick-up stop, it was evident that goal would be met. But the job didn’t stop at donation making. The mountains of plastic bags and boxes also needed to be sorted and packed into the large truck that would make the journey to North Minneapolis.

A group of about 15 Minnetonka High School seniors, all of whom had just finished their finals Monday, took on that task—in temperatures that hovered near 100 degrees.

“It’s really nice to see we can all come together as a community and it’s a fun experience to be able to help,” said.

“It’s really fun to help people in need,” Elliot Newton agreed, lifting a heavy box of canned goods onto the back of the truck. “It’s cool to see how we can affect this situation.”