With support from our generous donors, Open Your Heart provided House of Charity with emergency funding following an unfortunate fire that took place at their Food Centre on January 26 of 2022. Open Your Heart’s immediate funding helped provide the House of Charity with the flexible support they needed to respond.
The year prior, House of Charity merged with St. Stephen’s Human Services in an effort to serve more people and provide a more comprehensive continuum of services. Prior to the fire, the Food Centre was the only public lunch program in Minneapolis open every day of the year. Staff and volunteers prepared and served free, hot, nutritious meals to 350 men, women, and children each day. While they work quickly to rebuild, the Food Centre continues to ensure that hungry neighbors still have access to the resources they need.
At Open Your Heart, staff, and board closely follow trends and challenges faced by those experiencing hunger and homelessness and work to meet needs as they arise. This includes developing special projects to address barriers and providing emergency support within days if a crisis occurs at an agency’s facility. Open Your Heart’s ability to quickly respond, like that to the House of Charity’s Food Centre, is only made possible by the support of our donors.