How to celebrate International Women’s Day? Invest in Women

Minnesota is at the epicenter of a national disturbance. On February 13, 2026, the City of Minneapolis released some financial statistics on the impact of that disturbance - the Operation Metro Surge (OMS). While called METRO, on the ground we know that Minneapolis wasn’t the only city hit. It hit St Paul, Columbia Heights, St. Peter, Marshall, Northern Minnesota and beyond. We are using Minneapolis statistics because they released them but remember as you read below, the reach and impact is deeper than these number show. Here is what they report:

  • $47 million: lost wages for people afraid to leave home and go to work

  • $81 million: restaurant and small business revenue losses

  • $4.7 million: revenue from hotel cancellations extending through summer

  • 8,713: School-age children in need of services due to OMS 

  • $15.7 million: additional rent assistance needed due to lost household income since Dec. 2025 

Those numbers impact everyone but with women trailing men by $.87 to the $1, we can make some assumptions on the impact on women. One way to celebrate International Women’s Day is to make a donation (financial or specific) to help the women and families hit hardest across the state. We have a few ways to do that in person or online.

Women’s March MN Hosting a Drive-By Drop-Off at A Bar of Their Own

A Bar of Their Own (ABOTO) is a sports bar that features only women’s sports. They have received national attention and have become a hub for sports lovers of all genders excited to watch women win! We will be collecting pads, tampons, and pantiliners for Mobile Loaves Twin Cities. An estimated 2 in 5 menstruators in the U.S. struggle to purchase period products. Want to help? Bring in newly boxed pads, tampons, and pantiliners at ABOTO on International Women's Day (March 8)! Mobile Loaves Twin Cities will create packs to distribute to members of our community in need. So please come visit us to drop off donations. Stick around to enjoy a beverage, delicious food, and women's sports all while supporting a woman-owned, local business!

Can’t make it to the bar? If you're not local and prefer to give directly to Mobile Loaves, you can make a donation online.

Date: Sunday March 8
Time: 11am to 8pm
Where: 2207 Franklin Avenue E, Mpls MN 55404

Support a Local Women-Owned Business

According to a recent report, women are 50 percent of Minnesota’s population in 2021 but owned less than 20 percent of all employer businesses. Let’s help those people succeed. Find a local woman-owned business in your area and check them out. Buy their product, eat at their restaurant, visit for a massage or whatever makes sense based on the business. If you enjoy the service, let people know. Tell your friends. Post a review on Facebook, Google or another online platform. 

Make an Online Donation to Support Unsheltered Women and Families

Homelessness doesn’t just happen during Operation Metro Surge or even just in the winter. People experience homelessness due to illness, after a divorce, because of fires or other disasters, a job loss, a detained partner or any other number of reasons. If you are able to help lend a hand (or a dollar) please check out the following:

Cornerstone Advocacy Services - specializes in supporting people all over Minnesota who’ve experienced trauma as a result of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking or general crime.

Ann Treacy