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Community Investment

At Moss & Barnett, we are committed to giving back to the communities that have given so much to us. We serve through our leadership of the bar, our provisions of pro bono legal services, and our participation in numerous charitable and faith-based institutions. We also provide financial support to diverse civic, religious, social action, and cultural organizations around the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.

In addition to our wide-ranging charitable work, we strive to increase access to legal services for underserved communities. Our lawyers play leading roles in Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, The Fund for Legal Aid, Volunteer Lawyers Network, and the Minnesota Justice Foundation. We also routinely serve on and hold leadership positions in numerous bar committees and organizations, including the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards and the Fourth District Ethics Committee.

M&B Cares

In 2017, Moss & Barnett launched M&B Cares, a firmwide initiative that supports and coordinates our team’s volunteer work. The M&B Cares committee collaborates with a variety of civic, charitable, and other community service organizations to help our team better serve the community. M&B Cares is committed to benefitting a different cause at least quarterly by providing volunteers for projects along with financial contributions.

Moss & Barnett lawyers and staff also contribute on a routine basis to other organizations by providing food, clothing, and other necessary items in addition to donating their time directly.

“We are very grateful for our employees who endeavor to improve the quality of life in our communities and are thankful to our firm for assisting with those efforts by providing its support and recognition to them,” said Jane Aune Deach, a director on Moss & Barnett’s board of directors and chair of M&B Cares. She serves on the M&B Cares committee with attorney Jessica Brigman, paralegal Katie Daugherty, recovery coordinator Joylina Distel, legal assistant Maureen Montpetit, finance director Phil Rush, and business development director Shannon Wiger.

To date, M&B Cares has supported the following organizations:

  • Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2023)
    Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2023)
    12.22.2023

    M&B Cares purchased and gift wrapped 52 copies of The Chronicles of Narnia box set for the 7th grade students at Hope Academy. Hope Academy is a private inner-city school serving over 700 K-12 students in the Minneapolis area.

  • Shoes for Hennepin Healthcare Psychiatric Care Patients
    Shoes for Hennepin Healthcare Psychiatric Care Patients
    12.08.2023

    M&B Cares learned that Hennepin Healthcare had zero shoes to provide inpatient adults as they are discharged, so the M&B Cares team ran a shoe drive for the month of November 2023 to provide shoes and socks to our neighbors during their time of need. In 2021, M&B Cares provided 120 patients with shoes. We hope to provide even more shoes and socks in 2023. 

  • Urban League Twin Cities Annual Family Day Homecoming 2023
    Urban League Twin Cities Annual Family Day Homecoming 2023
    08.26.2023

    Volunteers from the firm helped the Urban League Twin Cities put on their 33rd Annual Family Day Homecoming. This event strives to provide a stress-free day of fun for the family. It also is meant to empower families as they learn of the resources and services that are available to them.  Our team ran the Kid’s Zone which included field games, face painting, and a bouncy slide. In addition, M&B Cares provided a cash donation to the Urban League for the event.

  • 2023 Komen Minnesota Race for the Cure
    2023 Komen Minnesota Race for the Cure
    05.14.2023

    The Race for the Cure is Komen’s signature fundraising event. M&B Cares sent a team of volunteers to this year's race. Our volunteers handed out Komen wraps to all participants to be used as interactive pieces in the Opening Ceremony. They roamed throughout the event site and made sure everyone had a wrap which was very much appreciated on an especially cold and rainy race morning.

  • Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2022)
    Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2022)
    12.12.2022

    M&B Cares purchased and gift wrapped copies of two books, Just Mercy and The Hiding Place: Corrie ten Boom, for the 8th grade students at Hope Academy. Hope Academy is a private inner-city school serving over 700 K-12 students in the Minneapolis area.

  • Chili Cookoff in Support of Children's Law Center of Minnesota
    Chili Cookoff in Support of Children's Law Center of Minnesota
    11.02.2022

    On November 2, 2022, the M&B Cares Committee hosted a Chili Cook Off to benefit the Children's Law Center of Minnesota (CLC) Foster Kids Duffle Bag Drive. Kids in foster care move around a lot so CLC makes sure that every new child client also receives a new duffel bag full of necessities.

  • Breaking Free Drop In Center
    Breaking Free Drop In Center
    07.15.2022

    During the month of July, 2022, M&B Cares held a personal hygiene products drive to benefit Breaking Free's Drop In Center. Breaking Free's mission is empowering survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution to build new lives through safe housing, direct services, effective healing programs, survivor advocacy, worldwide policy change, and hope. One component of the services they provide is their Drop In Center where they provide the basic needs including safety planning, a place to rest, showers, and food.

  • Pillow Drive for Bridging
    Pillow Drive for Bridging
    04.13.2022

    Imagine sleeping without a pillow? Thousands of families and individuals face this situation every day. M&B Cares partnered with Bridging to collect new and gently used pillows and pillow cases, as well as cash donations and direct donations, to meet this need in our community.

  • Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2021)
    Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2021)
    12.06.2021

    M&B Cares purchased and gift wrapped copies of two books, A Wrinkle in Time and One Crazy Summer, for students at Hope Academy. Hope Academy is a private inner-city school serving over 700 K-12 students in the Minneapolis area.

  • Hennepin Healthcare Inpatient Psychiatry
    Hennepin Healthcare Inpatient Psychiatry
    10.06.2021

    M&B Cares learned that, for a variety of reasons, many patients admitted to Hennepin Healthcare Inpatient Psychiatry arrive without footwear. To address this need, we ran a shoe drive for the month of September 2021 and collected over 150 pairs of shoes to ensure that patients who need shoes have them at discharge.

  • Nurture Newborns
    Nurture Newborns
    05.27.2021

    The M&B Cares Committee made a cash donation to Nurture Newborns, an affiliate of Emerge Mothers Academy, a nonprofit organization. Nurture Newborns is an annual student-led fundraiser dedicated to providing free newborn and infant supplies to parents in need.

  • FamilyWise (2021)
    FamilyWise (2021)
    03.19.2021

    M&B Cares collected healthy snacks and toys for FamilyWise, a nonprofit organization that offers supervised parenting and safe exchanges between non-custodial parents and their children.

  • Valentines for Seniors
    Valentines for Seniors
    02.14.2021

    M&B Cares created and designed over 500 Valentine's Day cards for senior residents at the Presbyterian Homes-Johanna Shores facility in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

  • Gifts for Seniors (2020)
    Gifts for Seniors (2020)
    12.15.2020

    M&B Cares wrapped up its 2020 projects by purchasing gifts for seniors in need through the Fifth Street Towers Gifts for Seniors virtual gift drive.

  • Beyond New Beginnings
    Beyond New Beginnings
    12.08.2020

    M&B Cares made a cash donation to Beyond New Beginnings, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young families by providing safe, secure housing, programming, and high-quality child care to those currently enrolled or graduated from the New Beginnings program.

  • Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2020)
    Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway (2020)
    12.01.2020

    M&B Cares made a cash donation to the Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway so that each of the school's students would receive a set of two gift-wrapped books. Hope Academy is a private inner-city school serving urban youth located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

  • Sneakers for Soldiers
    Sneakers for Soldiers
    11.11.2020

    M&B Cares collected cash donations in support of Sneakers for Soldiers that provides athletic shoes to deployed combat troops from all branches of the military. The soldiers are able to select the brand and style that best fits their feet and their needs. We were able provide 21 pairs of customized sneakers to our brave men and women in the military. 

  • Hope Academy School Supply Drive (2020)
    Hope Academy School Supply Drive (2020)
    08.25.2020

    M&B Cares was pleased to again sponsor a school supply drive this year – this time for a 1st grade classroom of 20 students at Hope Academy, a diverse K-12th grade inner city school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

  • FamilyWise
    FamilyWise
    02.21.2020

    M&B Cares collected healthy snacks and toys for FamilyWise, a non-profit organization that offers supervised parenting and safe exchanges between non-custodial parents and their children in a safe environment in one of its five locations.

  • Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway
    Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway
    12.16.2019

    M&B Cares made a cash donation to the Hope Academy Christmas Book Giveaway so that each of the school's students would receive a set of two gift-wrapped books. Hope Academy is a private inner-city school serving urban youth located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

  • Care Packages in Support of our Military (Thanksgiving 2019)
    Care Packages in Support of our Military (Thanksgiving 2019)
    11.28.2019

    To show our ongoing support for the courageous men and women who serve our country, M&B Cares once again shipped 30 care packages to a designated military unit to arrive in time for Thanksgiving.

  • Twin Cities Walk for Water (2019)
    Twin Cities Walk for Water (2019)
    09.28.2019

    M&B Cares walked in the 2019 Twin Cities Walk for Water in support of Water Mission. Over 400 people participated in-person in this year’s walk, with 250 more participating virtually, which raised $161,638. The funds raised will help deliver clean, safe water to people in developing countries and disaster areas.

  • Out of the Darkness Twin Cities Walk (2019)
    Out of the Darkness Twin Cities Walk (2019)
    09.15.2019

    M&B Cares walked in support of the 2019 Out of the Darkness Twin Cities Walk and joined a quarter of a million people from hundreds of cities across all 50 states to raise awareness and funds that will save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

  • Hope Academy School Supply Drive (2019)
    Hope Academy School Supply Drive (2019)
    08.05.2019

    M&B Cares once again sponsored a school supply drive – this year for the 6th and 7th grade students at Hope Academy, an inner city school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hope Academy is a diverse K-12th grade school with 74% of their student body being low income. The school is faith-based and the philosophy is powerful and effective, rooted in a premise of strengthening and engaging the family structure around the kids, and striving to break cyclical poverty to have a lasting impact.

  • Breaking Free Annual BBQ (2019)
    Breaking Free Annual BBQ (2019)
    07.27.2019

    Moss & Barnett has been a longtime supporter of Breaking Free, a nonprofit organization that rescues women and children from sex trafficking. Every year, Breaking Free hosts an annual BBQ where they invite all of their clients, past and present, along with their children, to enjoy a day of food and fun. M&B Cares was once again very pleased to volunteer to provide and serve food at the annual event.

  • Happy Hour Squared (2019)
    Happy Hour Squared (2019)
    06.20.2019

    M&B Cares was honored to participate in another Happy Hour Squared to make sandwiches for Mr. Allan Law's 363 Days Food Program.

  • Care Packages in Support of our Military (Memorial Day 2019)
    Care Packages in Support of our Military (Memorial Day 2019)
    05.14.2019

    To show our support for the courageous men and women who serve our country, M&B Cares once again shipped 30 care packages to a designated military unit to arrive in time for the Memorial Day holiday. 

  • The Link Cleaning Kits for Youth
    The Link Cleaning Kits for Youth
    03.19.2019

    The firm's employees purchased and donated supplies for cleaning kits for homeless youth transitioning into new housing at The Link, a nonprofit working with youth and families to overcome the impacts of poverty and social injustice.

  • Gifts for Seniors Gift Tree
    Gifts for Seniors Gift Tree
    12.14.2018

    M&B Cares' 2018 year-end projects included purchasing gifts for the Gifts for Seniors Gift Tree sponsored by Fifth Street Towers and cash donations to House of Charity and the Salvation Army.

  • 2018 Out of the Darkness Community Walk
    2018 Out of the Darkness Community Walk
    09.16.2018

    Each year, suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and natural disasters combined. Yet suicide prevention does not receive anywhere near the funding as other leading causes of death. M&B Cares was pleased to be a Silver Sponsor of, and also field a team of Walkers for, the 2018 Twin Cities Out of the Darkness Community Walk in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's lifesaving work.

  • Twin Cities Walk for Water (2018)
    Twin Cities Walk for Water (2018)
    09.15.2018

    Inspired by the burden that millions of women and children bear every day walking an average of 3.5 miles to collect water that is not safe, Moss & Barnett was pleased to be a Platinum Sponsor of the third annual Twin Cities Walk for Water. We walked to raise awareness of the global water crisis as part of our M&B Cares initiative.

  • Hope Academy School Supply Drive
    Hope Academy School Supply Drive
    08.14.2018

    M&B Cares sponsored a school supply drive for the 11th and 12th grade students at Hope Academy, an inner city school located at 2300 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hope Academy is a diverse K-12th grade school with 74% of their student body being low income. The school is faith-based and the philosophy is powerful and effective, rooted in a premise of strengthening and engaging the family structure around the kids, and striving to break cyclical poverty to have a lasting impact.

  • Breaking Free Annual BBQ
    Breaking Free Annual BBQ
    07.28.2018

    Moss & Barnett employees and friends enjoyed serving a picnic lunch to the clients and families of Breaking Free at their annual barbecue held on July 28, 2018, at Newell Park in St. Paul, Minnesota. There were games and prizes for the kids and face painting, too. A good time was had by all. Breaking Free is a Minnesota-based non-profit and social justice/social change organization founded in 1996. Every year, Breaking Free helps over 500 women escape systems of prostitution and sexual exploitation through advocacy, direct services, housing, and education.

  • Ronald McDonald House Charities-Upper Midwest
    Ronald McDonald House Charities-Upper Midwest
    06.28.2018

    Ronald McDonald House Charities-Upper Midwest, in partnership with the community, provides a comfortable and caring home-away-from-home that supports keeping families together and reduces stress during a child’s serious illness. Its four Twin Cities sites provide complimentary lodging, meals, and a community of support to families facing a child's serious illness, injury, or disability. Moss & Barnett employees and family members were honored to volunteer with the Cooks for Kids program to purchase, prepare, and serve a meal to the families at the Ronald McDonald House – Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota, Minnesota.

  • Care Packages for 4th Expeditionary Medical Unit
    Care Packages for 4th Expeditionary Medical Unit
    05.09.2018

    To show our support for the courageous men and women who serve our country, M&B Cares is adopting the 30 members of the 4th Expeditionary Medical Unit (4th EMU) which is currently stationed in Iraq. The members of the 4th EMU have been deployed to provide medical assistance to U.S. fighting forces on the ground in Iraq and Syria and to make arrangements for further medical transport to a permanent hospital out of country, if necessary. Additionally, they provide medical assistance to local nationals who have been devastated by the continued conflict in their country. The deployment is for nine months boots on ground.

    M&B Cares will put together care packages with cookies, movies, magazines, books, office supplies, toiletries, and other items to be sent to the members of the 4th EMU throughout their deployment to let them how much we appreciate them and how grateful we are for their dedication and service.

  • Happy Hour Squared
    Happy Hour Squared
    04.19.2018

    The Brave New Workshop Theatre (BNW) has partnered with Finnegans, Inc (charitable beer company) to reinvent happy hour, with the goals of feeding the hungry and serving the community. Moss & Barnett employees, family members, and friends participated in this innovative monthly event dubbed "Happy Hour Squared," held at the BNW's event centre in downtown Minneapolis, to make over 2,000 sandwiches that were handed off to Allan Law's MRD 363 Days Food Program to feed the hungry on the streets that night.

  • Community Emergency Services Neighborhood Food Shelf
    Community Emergency Services Neighborhood Food Shelf
    12.01.2017

    We are fortunate to live in a land of plenty, but there are so many of us who do not have enough – or anything – to eat. M&B Cares hosted a food drive throughout the month of November 2017 to donate food for the holidays to Community Emergency Services (CES). CES's Neighborhood Food Shelf is a critical part of CES's food programming, which had more than 80,000 client contacts in 2015 and distributed 516,000 pounds of food.

  • Timber Bay
    Timber Bay
    11.18.2017

    Timber Bay seeks out kids in our midst who are too often overlooked. Some struggle silently in school; others act out in self-destructive behaviors. Timber Bay's staff develops long-term relationships with the youth they serve through a dynamic camping and community approach. On Saturday, November 18, 2018, Moss & Barnett employees, family members, retirees, and friends assisted Timber Bay with setting up 500+ Christmas trees for their annual fundraising event where 100% of the profits go to benefit youth in the community.

  • 2017 Twin Cities Walk for Water
    2017 Twin Cities Walk for Water
    09.16.2017

    Inspired by the burden that millions of women and children bear every day walking an average of 3.5 miles to collect water that is not safe, Walk for Water in support of Water Mission raises awareness of the global water crisis. Moss & Barnett was pleased to be a Platinum Sponsor of the Walk, and we walked in support of people around the world who have to walk several miles daily to supply water to their families.

  • Love Somalia
    Love Somalia
    06.04.2017

    Our first M&B Cares initiative took place on June 4, 2017, when Moss & Barnett employees, family members, and friends participated in the Feed My Starving Children’s mobile packing event, LOVE SOMALIA, held at the St. Paul River Centre. The group filled 46 boxes of food that will provide 9,936 meals (the event produced a total of 645,568 meals).

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