Minnesota United and Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life®) are partnering to donate $75,000 to the Neighbors United Funding Collaborative (NUFC) to support Midway and Union Park area residents, local businesses and organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are extremely proud of the relationships we have built with our community surrounding Allianz Field. One of the most important things we can do as a club during these times of stress and uncertainty is to support our neighbors in soccer,” said MNUFC CEO Chris Wright. “We are honored to work with an incredible partner like Allianz to offer essential funding to provide for the communities around Allianz Field, the place we and our fans call home. We hope this donation will provide some much-needed stability during these challenging times.”
The Neighbors United Funding Collaborative was created in 2016 and for more than three years, residents and community leaders collaborated to create a resource the neighborhood surrounding Allianz Field can draw from to improve and strengthen the area for years to come. The community benefits fund will provide funding to residents, local businesses and community organizations focusing on economic development, placemaking, public art, preventing displacement and preserving the local community. The joint donation made by Minnesota United and Allianz Life has effectively quadrupled the fund’s resources to support the Midway and Union Park communities. For more information on how to support the fund, please follow this link.
"We are very appreciative of the large donation made by Allianz and Minnesota United,” Brandon Long, Executive Director Union Park District Council. “While these funds will support a variety of efforts in the community for years to come, we are spending our first year rapidly mobilizing to assist area businesses weather this pandemic. With this latest donation we are now able to make emergency relief funds available to businesses in the area around the stadium.”
In addition to their donation to the Neighbors United Funding Collaborative, Allianz Life is matching all financial contributions to Keystone Community Services up to $50,000 to help provide access to healthy food for those living in Saint Paul and the Midway Neighborhood.
Through their food shelves, Foodmobile, Meals on Wheels services, crisis services, and other food programs, Keystone supports and nourishes residents of St. Paul and the Midway Neighborhood in many ways. Follow this link to donate and help Keystone support their community during this crisis.
In August of 2019, Minnesota United and Allianz Life partnered with Keystone Community Services and hosted a free farmers market on the Great Lawn at Allianz Field to support local residents and food shelves. Over 14,000 pounds of food was distributed to local residents, feeding more than 150 households in the Midway area.
“Supporting and strengthening our community is core to how we do business,” said Allianz Life president and CEO Walter White. “In partnership with Minnesota United, we can support groups like Keystone and the Neighbors United Funding Collaborative that are working to reinforce a strong and sustainable Midway and Union Park – both during this current time of need and also in the future.”
In conjunction with its support for the Neighbors United Funding Collaborative, Minnesota United has shown its commitment to the broader Saint Paul community. In March, the city of Saint Paul announced the expansion of the Saint Paul Bridge Fund Proposal. Minnesota United was a part of a coalition of Saint Paul businesses and organizations offering financial support to the Saint Paul Bridge Fund, providing emergency relief to families, small businesses, and those in need in the community. For more information on the Saint Paul Bridge Fund please follow this link.
The 2020 MLS season is currently suspended to help ensure the health and safety of our fans, players, coaches and staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. Please follow Minnesota United’s social channels and check our website mnufc.com for regular updates on the club and the season going forward.
