The Ely Community Response Team has set up shop in the Ely Historic State Theater to serve as a local hub for wildfire resources, information and volunteers.
Organizer Megan Wind said the team came together to channel an influx of community offers to donate resources to wildfire efforts and assistance.
“It was an effort to channel all of the donations and goodwill, and also be a center for information as well,” Wind said.
Ely Community Response raised over $20,000 for the Morse-Fall Lake Fire Department in just 12 hours, which will likely support new firefighting gear. Donations far exceeded the team’s initial hopes to raise $10,000 in 72 hours.
“It was a pretty amazing response,” Wind said.
Within just days of their establishment, the Ely Community Response Team had already distributed over 200 N95 masks, hosted a community meeting, shared health and safety information, created a blog on how to support Ely, and advocated for the area’s needs to Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, according to a Facebook update from the group.
Wind said the team has now handed out over 500 N95 masks, with hundreds more set for delivery soon.
The group has also connected families with housing opportunities, organized rides for those who may need evacuation support and coordinated the donation of a chest freezer from Kerntz Appliances to the Morse Fall Lake Fire Department.
Ely Community Response is not accepting monetary donations for themselves, as they are not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Instead, Wind encourages donors to provide resources to local organizations like the Ely Area Food Shelf, youth programming at Ely Community Resource, Northwest Partners and also the Ely Historic State Theater for hosting the response team.
Wind said Ely Community Response has expanded to over 30 volunteers, but began with a group of five: Wind, Ely council member Emily Roose, Bria Schurke, Ozzie Reif, and Morse Fall Lake firefighter Johnnie Hyde, who has now been called to the fire.
Roose sent out a group text the night of Tuesday, July 14 to several community members who had the potential to offer time, knowledge or resources to coordinate a response.
Wind said the message transformed into a 9 a.m. meeting at Northern Grounds that stretched for five hours, transferred down to the state theater and emerged as the Ely Community Response Team’s first 12-hour day.
“It was really a rapid forming of our group,” Wind said.
Many team members have temporarily put aside fulltime jobs in order to aid with the efforts and staff Ely Community Response Team hours at the theater, which now run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Those searching for resources or to connect with opportunities to support the community may drop into the Ely Historic State Theater during those hours.
Interested individuals may also email the team at [email protected] or visit the organization’s Facebook page.
