Welcome to Merrick
*Meals on Wheels will NOT be delivered on Friday, January 23rd due to the extreme cold. Please reach out to Tim at 651-219-5531 if you have any questions.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.
Statement on Second ICE Fatal Shooting in Minneapolis
January 26, 2026
Merrick Community Services mourns the tragic and avoidable death of a second ICE Fatal Shooting in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti on January 24. Federal Officials have repeatedly put forward a narrative, which caused Susan and Michael Pretti to release a statement about their son. We cannot think of any more eloquent words to convey our sentiments and hope in the wake of this senseless crime.
Alex Pretti’s Parents’ Statement:
We are heartbroken but also very angry.
Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.
I do not throw around the “hero” term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.
Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
In addition to adding AMEN to the Pretti’s statement, we continue to call for a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation with local, state, and federal agencies to confirm what transpired to ensure justice for both Alex Pretti and Renee Good and their families.
Along with our local and state leaders and all people of goodwill, we implore (once again) ICE to leave Minnesota, to end further violence and cruelty, which has been predicted and is avoidable. ICE’s departure will allow us to overcome the fear and hatred and division that their presence has created.
Minnesota is better than this. America is better than this.
Statement on Recent ICE Fatal Shooting in Minneapolis
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command…..And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth.” – 1984, George Orwell
“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution, 1968
Merrick Community Services mourns the tragic and avoidable death of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE Agent in Minneapolis. We share with Renee and her neighbors an affinity and concern for our Latino and Somali brothers and sisters (and other People of Color), who ICE has been targeting in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul and throughout Minnesota with an unprecedented 2,000 Agents (and hundreds more just announced by DHS to be deployed that will only further inflame a grieving community). This has resulted in families being ripped apart and tremendous terror and great pain and fear among some of our most vulnerable members of our community.
We believe that Dr. King’s assertion that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice is true. And, we also know that we cannot reject the evidence of our eyes and ears, as George Orwell admonished.
We hope a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation with local, state, and federal agencies will take place and confirm what transpired and ensure justice for Renee and her family. In the meantime, we will continue to offer (as we have for over 118 years) a variety of welcoming resources and services for immigrants, refugees, and other new arrivals to the East Side of Saint Paul and beyond. Everyone we are privileged to serve deserves to feel safe and welcomed and celebrated for the innate value they bring to our community. We are, indeed, growing stronger together.
Along with our local and state leaders and all people of goodwill, we implore ICE to leave Minnesota, to end further violence and cruelty, which has been predicted and is avoidable. ICE’s departure will allow us to overcome the fear and hatred and division that their presence has created.
Minnesota is better than this. America is better than this.
FREE TAX PREP at
Merrick Community Services
P+P provides free tax preparation and financial services to individuals making $40,000 or less and families with income of $70,000 or less. All tax returns are prepared by IRS-certified volunteers attending extensive training through P+P.
Merrick in a Time of Change:
Adapting and Evolving
Today, Merrick Community Services stands as one of the oldest nonprofit agencies in Ramsey County, with a history of assisting individuals and families transition from poverty and become self-sufficient and stable. The core programs of MCS are Employment & Career Services, Family & Community Services, Food Shelf, and Meals on Wheels
Merrick Community Services remains committed to breaking the cycle of multi-generational and concentrated poverty in our community. We will continue to work with others in challenging and advocating for systems change. But, to be successful, we all need to be pulling in the same direction – to bend toward justice.
Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday, 8 AM – 5:30 PM
CLOSED FRIDAYS
Immediate need?United Way assistance line by dialing 211
Ramsey County Mental Health Crisis line at 651-266-7900 (adults) or 651-266-7878 (under 18)
Any other needs please leave a message for Merrick Staff at 651-771-9339.