Open Your Heart is excited to announce our 2024 Summer grantees! Thanks to our generous supporters, Open Your Heart awarded over $106,000 in funding this quarter to Minnesota crisis service agencies in need! Collectively, this funding will support over 149,000 Minnesotans experiencing food and housing insecurity. None of this would be possible without you. Thank you!
Advocates Against Domestic Abuse dba HOPE
$3,000 | Aitkin
Funding will provide transportation assistance for victim/survivors of domestic violence and their families that are fleeing abusive relationships. Funding for gas cards is crucial to help victim/survivors seeking emergency services in Aitkin County, where public transportation is lacking. This approach addresses both immediate safety needs and long-term safety planning.
Agate Housing and Services
$4,500 | Minneapolis
Funding toward lockable storage totes and bedding for Agate’s two emergency shelters. Lockable storage bins enhance guest security; while bedding and mattresses are essential for healthy sleep in the shelter.
Bi-County Community Action Programs, Inc.
$6,830 | Bemidji
Funding toward mold mitigation in BI-CAP’s transitional housing unit. BI-CAP’s holistic transitional housing program supports families with challenging backgrounds, promoting housing stability and positively impacting the community.
Bridgepointe Community Church Food Shelf
$4,800 | Moorhead
Funding for outreach supplies and transportation, supporting outreach and activities for youth experiencing homelessness. Additionally, it provides bus vouchers to those in need.
Bridging
$5,000 | Bloomington
Funding toward two-wheelers and a washer/dryer unit, supporting Bridging as they open a third physical location in northwest Hennepin County. Bridging’s expansion will boost shopping appointments, furniture procurement, volunteer numbers, community partnerships, and donor base growth.
Community Emergency Service (CES)
$8,160 | Minneapolis
Funding toward the installation of food lockers which will have a profoundly positive impact on food access and equity in the Phillips Community. By adding 16 daily turnover food lockers, CES will reduce wait times and offer flexible pickup options for over 4,100 households annually. This expansion benefits vulnerable populations, promotes dignity, and fights hunger in our community.
Connections to Independence (C2i)
$7,000 | Minneapolis
Funding will support youth experiencing homelessness, particularly those aging out of foster care. It addresses housing instability, racial inequities, and provides essential life skills education.
CROSS Services
$3,500 | Rogers
Funding toward the purchase of a refrigerator unit for CROSS Services’ new food rescue truck. CROSS invests resources in food rescue, saving 2 million pounds of perishable food annually from local partners. Their food rescue trucks, including the newest one, rely on refrigerator units to replenish their shelves daily.
Family Promise Rochester
$3,996 | Rochester
To enhance food storage in Family Promise’s new shelter, funding will support the purchase of chest freezers, an additional refrigerator, air fryers, microwaves, and pantry shelving. Family Promise’s current shelter houses 3 families, but with increasing demand, they’re moving to a new facility in summer 2024. The new space will accommodate 6-12 families across three pods.
Grace House of Itasca County
$3,000 | Grand Rapids
To support youth in area schools experiencing homelessness or in transitional housing by creating pathways for improved access and academic success. This collaborative effort involves five school districts and one charter school in Itasca County. Through homeless liaisons, Grace House serves students and families facing housing instability. The Homeless Student fund, administered by Grace House, supports school-related expenses, including extracurricular activities, clothing, and learning supplies.
Hospitality House of Owatonna, Inc.
$4,657 | Owatonna
Funding will support a new water softener for Hospitality House, housed in a historic home built in 1896. For their guests facing homelessness, the Hospitality House offers a free place to live, eat, sleep, gain resources, and participate in programming that will help them move towards self-sufficiency and housing stabilization. A water softener is crucial to maintaining the home’s plumbing, pipes, and septic system.
Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul
$9,195 | St. Paul
Funds to replace a freezer that recently broke. A functioning freezer enables Interfaith Action to store food safely to distribute to families in need. Replacing the freezer ensures they have adequate food supplies on hand.
Intermediate District 287
$7,000 | Plymouth
Funding to purchase necessities for students who have been identified as homeless/highly mobile (toiletries/personal hygiene products, clothing/outwear and footwear). Homeless and highly mobile students aged 5 to 21 often need basics like clothing, outerwear, footwear, and personal hygiene supplies. Providing these resources allows them to attend school with dignity.
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Homeless Services Programs
$5,000 | Cass Lake
Funding will support 32 weatherproof lockers at the Cass Lake Emergency Shelter. These lockers, stored outside, will have locks and awnings to prevent water damage. They’ll provide secure, weatherproof storage for unhoused individuals and their daily needs.
Mankato Youth Place
$6,368 | Mankato
Funding for a refrigerator and oven, which are essential for MY Place to have a licensed kitchen and participate fully in MDE USDA food programs. These programs allow them to provide healthy meals, including fresh fruits and vegetables, which would otherwise be unaffordable to those they serve.
New Creation Baptist Church
$6,629 | Minneapolis
Funding to expand New Creation’s shopping and storage areas as well as some cosmetic paining of walls and floors. These updates will ensure a better presentation of healthy foods, refreshed shopping area, and a more inviting atmosphere.
The Bridge for Youth
$5,000 | Minneapolis
Funding for gender-affirming clothing distributed through The Bridge’s Mobile Youth Outreach Center (MYOC). MYOC meets the immediate needs of at-risk youth in the Twin Cities. MYOC provides trauma-informed services, including prevention, necessities, crisis lines, shelter, healthcare, counseling, and aftercare. This support will empower youth, enhance safety, and promote self-sufficiency.
The Landing MN
$6,000 | Rochester
Funding toward essential items needed by unhoused guests such as documentation/IDs, transportation, medications, and clothing. These small items significantly impact homeless individuals’ lives. For example, obtaining an ID is crucial for accessing employment and housing. The Landing MN assists with this process and associated fees, while also providing support for shoe needs and vehicle repairs. Their wise use of funds builds trust-based relationships and empowers meaningful conversations.
YouthLink
$6,861 | Minneapolis
Funding to replace the reach-in cooler in YouthLink’s onsite food pantry. A collaborative project involving VOYAC, YouthLink staff, Shea Design Inc., and Greiner Construction proposes transforming the clothing closet and food pantry. By creating a food market-style space and a retail-style clothing closet, YouthLink aims to offer more options while destigmatizing these areas. The request for a new refrigeration unit from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless aligns with this goal of providing food options more rapidly.