With the help of her husband and small kids, Kim O’Brien has been assembling hundreds of stay-at-home bags in her basement for the low-income residents of large, multi-family apartment buildings that surround Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue.

O’Brien is the executive director of the year-old Rice-Larpenteur Alliance, a team-up between business and property owners, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and four communities that converge at the intersection — St. Paul, Roseville, Maplewood and Ramsey County.

“It’s a way to both support local businesses, and deliver a message of solidarity and support at a difficult time,” said O’Brien, who has rented a U-Haul for delivery. “There’s just a lot of young families who live in the neighborhood. With no school, and uncertain work situations, it’s a super stressful time. We thought it would be a way to show support.”

Roseville Mayor Dan Roe noted that the intersection, which sits in St. Paul, Roseville and Maplewood all at once, has been a popular one for recent immigrant groups for years. “They seem to settle there due to affordability,” he said. “A few years ago it was Karen from Myanmar or Burma, and more recently it’s been the Nepalese and Bhutanese.”

On Friday, Roe and St. Paul City Council President Amy Brendmoen donated funds to secure reusable tote bags. Maplewood Mayor Marylee Abrams reached out to her local Costco, which set aside 900 rolls of toilet paper, on top of granola bars, fruit snacks, trail mix and squeezable fruit cartons.

“The general manager came out and said, ‘this is a no brainer, this is absolutely what we should do,'” O’Brien said.

The Cub Foods in Maplewood donated boxes of mac and cheese, canned soup and canned vegetables. “We wanted the bags to really be a gesture a kindness of support for people, so they know they’re not alone,” Abrams said.

Courtney Henry, who owns several McDonald’s franchises, drove to O’Brien’s home with 500 of the latest Happy Meal toys. “He actually dropped them off at my house,” she said.

The Kids in Need Foundation, a national school supply effort which has an office in Roseville, added 500 activity books, scratch art pads and 3D coloring books.

Restaurants quickly stepped up. Nepali Kitchen contributed “10 percent off” take-out coupons. Hearthside Pizza added $5 coupons. Thai Street Market included a certificate good for free cream cheese wontons.

“We’re going to put a letter in a little tote bag, with information about the Rice-Larpenteur Alliance,” O’Brien said. “We hope it’s a way to reach members of the community we haven’t been able to reach before.”