Operation Metro Surge: Cafecito, community response, and the impact on Latin@ survivors 

On Wednesday, May 28, Esperanza United’s offices in St. Paul filled up with Cafecito, conversation, and community. Esperanza United staff, advocates, funders, donors, partners, leaders, and friends of the community all came together. 

Coffee from Abogados Café was waiting for us from the very first moment – thank you for being part of this morning with us. Chef Asha Picon’s catering was laid out across the tables; fresh flowers added a warm touch to the space, and at 8:30 people started arriving. Name tags, warm greetings, and that particular energy when people who share a purpose are all in the same room. 

The heart of the event was a conversation that had been a long time coming. Esperanza United’s President and CEO, Vivian Huelgo, joined our Family Advocacy Director, Sarahi Mateo, for an honest discussion about Operation Metro Surge – what survivors and families lived through during that time, and what that experience continues to leave behind today. 

For nearly half an hour, they explored what rarely gets seen behind the headlines: the everyday fear of leaving home, the complexity of safety planning in the middle of chaos, the isolation of families with school-age children, and the added weight carried by staff and the advocates who work directly with the community. 

They also spoke about the origins of HelpMN – the initiative that grew out of that moment to respond to urgent needs that existing services couldn’t fully reach. When Operation Metro Surge unfolded, 166 people from across the community chose to give to Esperanza United. Together they contributed more than $23,000 in grassroots donations – and combined with broader philanthropic support, HelpMN raised nearly $694,000 in total.

Those funds supported Abrazo en Caja, a care package initiative that reached families sheltering in place, and were routed to area school mutual aid groups that were already trusted by families not yet connected to Esperanza United. Community organizations that were already there, already trusted – and now resourced to do more. 

Vivian reflected on what this crisis confirmed for her about the Minnesota community, about the allies who stepped up, and about why Esperanza United was born here and continues to mobilize so many communities from our home here. 

There was time for questions. People asked them – direct, thoughtful, and rooted in their own experience. 

Afterward, more coffee. More conversations. More moments of recognition among people who do this work. 

Vivian closed with a simple thank-you. And people stayed. 

That, in a way, says it all. 

This work continues because people choose to invest in it. If the Cafecito moved you – or if you’ve been following Esperanza United’s work and have been looking for a moment to step closer – consider supporting survivors in our community. And if you want to stay close to this work as it unfolds, our newsletter is the best place to do that.