Minnesotans donated a record $30.4 million to nonprofits and schools during the annual Give to the Max campaign, surpassing the previous record of nearly $22 million set in 2019.
GiveMN Executive Director Jake Blumberg said donors gave money to more than 6,100 organizations, which is also a record.
"What we were hoping donors would do and what we directly asked over and over again for donors to do was to expand their generosity this year," he said.
Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank received more than $900,000 in donations. That was the most money given to a single organization this year.
Blumberg said donors responded to the significant needs of organizations trying to help people affected by the pandemic. The Give to the Max website allowed donors to seek out organizations that address COVID-19 and those that serve or are led by those who are Black, Indigenous and people of color.
Blumberg said despite the financial problems many donors have experienced this year, they still felt a strong need to help others.
He said it “has triggered in many folks a sense of community and a sense of needing and wanting to share an experience and support one another."