In South Minneapolis, the bilingual congregation at Iglesia Dios Habla Hoy has quietly turned its sanctuary into something that looks a lot more like a warehouse than a traditional church. Pews sit half empty while pallets of food, diapers and hygiene kits stack up in the aisles, and volunteer drivers fan out with door-to-door deliveries for families who say they are too afraid to leave home during the current federal immigration enforcement surge. What started as a neighborhood lifeline has quickly grown into an operation serving thousands across the city.
Church scales up as need explodes
Pastor Sergio Amezcua told KARE 11 that the church’s registration list ballooned into the tens of thousands. According to that reporting, roughly 25,000 families had signed up and about 14,000 had already received help, and the church estimates it is moving between 50,000 and 70,000 pounds of food every week.
Volunteer network and deliveries
Once church leaders posted a sign-up form on social media, the response blew past expectations. More than 3,000 people registered in a single day, and volunteers began carving the city into neighborhood routes so they could reach residents staying indoors. Sojourners reported that Dios Habla Hoy was packing around 400 food boxes a day and had mobilized more than 1,000 volunteers to handle both pickups and deliveries.
Officials and neighbors pitch in
City officials say fear of immigration enforcement is draining customers from Latino-owned businesses and even from congregations, and local leaders have urged residents who are less affected to support neighborhood services that are still open. CBS Minnesota reported that Minneapolis community service officers have volunteered at recent church distributions, and Pastor Amezcua told the station that thousands more families remain on a waiting list for food.
Legal backdrop
The surge in mutual aid is unfolding in the shadow of "Operation Metro Surge," a federal immigration enforcement campaign that began in December and has sparked protests and lawsuits across the Twin Cities. On Friday, a federal judge issued a preliminary order that restricts certain crowd-control tactics by agents, including detaining or using tear gas on peaceful observers, according to the court order available through Justia.
Where to confirm operating hours
Dios Habla Hoy posts its location and contact information on its website, and KARE 11 includes current donation drop-off hours for the church’s relief effort. The website for Dios Habla Hoy lists the church’s south Minneapolis address along with contact information for volunteers and donors.
On the ground
For now, volunteers, faith partners and neighbors are trying to plug the gap created by stepped-up enforcement, keeping food on tables while protests and court battles continue. Local coverage has shown how quickly a worship space turned into a full-scale logistics hub, and community leaders say these mutual-aid efforts are likely to remain in high gear as long as families feel safer staying behind closed doors than stepping outside.
