Bob CollinsIf there’s one constant in Minnesota, it’s the debate over whether we’re a welcoming people.
It’s hard to make friends here, the theory goes. We’re a little cold and a little distant and you can grow old waiting for an invitation to dinner from the neighbors.
Tell it to Shonda.
According to Southwest Journal, Shonda moved into the Diamond Lake neighborhood and before she could meet many people, her car was broadsided.
When a new Diamond Lake neighbor was broadsided in a car accident April 4 at 56th Street & 13th Avenue, her neighbors quickly took action, though many hadn’t met her yet. One person set up a plan to send over meals, another helped arrange to get a rental car, and others watched her three boys while she was in the hospital with a broken jaw.
When neighbors learned that neither driver in the accident had insurance, they set up a fundraiser on gofundme.com to help raise money for a new car. They met the $400 goal in two days, and shut down fundraising when the total hit $1,165. Many of the 45 donors chipped in about $20 apiece.
“Shonda spent time in the hospital and neighbors helped care for her 3 boys,” neighbor Mary Kadrie wrote on the GoFundMe page. “She has a broken jaw and no car now. She was uninsured as was the driver that hit her.
“The neighbors on the nearby blocks have rallied to line up meals, shuttle her kids to various activities and practices, but what the family really needs is a car. Until they can line up funds for a new car they need a rental to get them through.”
