Thanks to our generous supporters, Open Your Heart awarded over $96,000 in funding to Minnesota crisis service agencies in need! Collectively, this funding will support nearly 850,000 Minnesotans experiencing food and housing insecurity. None of this would be possible without you. Thank you!
Anna Marie’s Alliance
$5,326 | St. Cloud
Toward a new refrigerator and freezer. Anna Marie’s Alliance, an emergency shelter, is in the process of converting dormitory style living spaces into efficiency style spaces with kitchenettes. With this remodel, they will empower individuals and families to take control of their own schedules, allowing them to prepare and enjoy meals that reflect their personal, cultural, and familial traditions.
Appetite For Change
$5,000 | Minneapolis
In support of Appetite for Change’s Community Cooks Meal Box Delivery Program. From June to November, they source, package, and deliver 125 weekly meal boxes, each with 4-8 lbs of fresh, culturally relevant food, to address food insecurity. Beyond mere sustenance, this program introduces a novel, creative food system to a community that is frequently neglected, aiming to fulfill the critical need for healthy food options.
At Home Group, Inc. DBA Small Sums
$3,500 | St. Paul
To provide 75 workers facing homelessness in Minnesota’s 7-county metro area with a 31-day metro pass, ensuring they can get to work and receive their first and next paychecks. This funding, along with others, will help 1,500 workers be “Dressed & Ready” for employment, reducing barriers and promoting economic stability. Open Your Heart’s support will create pathways to opportunity and lasting change for those who need it most.
Avenues for Youth
$3,210 | Minneapolis
To replace a worn-out dishwasher/sanitizer requested by youth. Each year, Avenues for Youth provides 24/7 housing and support to at least 105 youth aged 16 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness. Improving their kitchen appliances will significantly enhance the quality of meal experiences and the well-being of residents.
Community Pathways of Steele County
$1,200 | Owatonna
To replace Community Pathways of Steele County’s current wall mounted bread racks with new racks on wheels. They are currently down to two racks from three (one has already failed and disposed of.) Three new racks provided will provide Community Pathways of Steele County the ability to safely keep bread out on the shelf consistently for their shoppers.
Damiano of Duluth, Inc.
$4,000 | Duluth
In support of Damiano of Duluth, Inc.’s Community Services Program to get people replacement birth certificates and transportation vouchers. The lack of these items is a huge barrier for homeless and other low-income people–the people they serve in all their programs. These forms of simple assistance can sometimes make a tremendous difference in someone’s life.
Elpis Enterprises
$3,000 | Saint Paul
Open Your Heart’s funding will support Elpis Enterprises in tackling immediate basic needs that undermine stability and hinder the capacity of Twin Cities’ youth facing housing challenges to enter the job market and embark on a career path; and support the need for clean and presentable work apparel as they interact with Elpis Enterprises’ customers and the broader public at their more than 170 community workshops each year.
Feeding Our Communities Partners
$6,812 | North Mankato
Toward two overhead heating units that are no longer working and integral to Feeding Our Communities Partners’ (FOCP) operations. Two out of four heating units that warm the 10,000 square foot warehouse during winter are broken. This area accommodates staff workspaces and hundreds of weekly volunteers, and it also serves as storage for their most valuable resource: food. Replacing these units will significantly enhance both the quality of FOCP’s operations and the working conditions.
HOPE Coalition
$7,000 | Red Wing
Toward motel vouchers for unhoused families and individuals in Goodhue and Wabasha Counties. Through this funding HOPE Coalition can provide around 105 nights in a safe shelter while assisting people work toward their housing goals. Having this funding will allow for other grant funds to be utilized for other financial crises such as food and gas vouchers, rental assistance, and other basic needs. HOPE can also allocate donations to be used for salaries, benefits and other administrative costs.
Kulture Klub Collaborative
$5,000 | Minneapolis
With this support, the Kulture Klub Collaborative can reduce barriers and increase access to their programming and services for youth experiencing homelessness. Creating easy, equitable access to their arts-based programming and community safe space will allow them to engage more youth in their unique offerings, connect them to services available through Youthlink, and support them in gaining confidence, life-skills, and housing stability.
Merrick Community Services
$6,000 | St. Paul
Toward an additional upright freezer. Due to higher demand for Food Shelf services and shifts in how donated food is procured, Merrick Community Services’ needs more storage space to freeze perishable items. Participants visiting the Food Shelf will benefit from this purchase and its impact will result in additional storage for perishable foods, allowing them to offer a wider range of foods over longer periods of time.
Ruth’s House of Hope
$9,811 | Faribault
Open Your Heart’s funding will support Ruth’s House of Hope with two urgent needs: replacing carpeting which is well over 10 years old, heavily trafficked, and quite grimy; and replacing old beds at Sarah’s House, a sober living home for women operated by Ruth’s House. Replacing the carpet will increase safety and comfort and create a more sanitary environment for Ruth’s House residents. Replacing the beds will increase comfort and safety for Sarah’s House residents.
South St. Paul Community Education
$5,304 | South St. Paul
Toward a new industrial refrigerator. South St. Paul Community Education serves 1,000 free take and bake meals no questions asked to their community weekly. With this grant they can continue to provide meals for those in need.
Southern Valley Alliance
$3,000 | Shakopee
To help provide transportation, emergency cell phones and supplemental gift cards for other basic needs to victims fleeing domestic violence situations. Southern Valley Alliance (SVA) is the sole provider of domestic abuse services for Scott and Carver counties. No one should face the pain and trauma of domestic violence alone. Financial support makes a difference, building SVA’s capacity, improving family outcomes, and ensuring stronger, healthier communities for years to come.
Stepping-Stone Emergency Housing
$5,000 | Anoka
Toward the replacement of resident mattresses in the emergency shelter. The funding request for new mattresses is more than just an investment in physical resources; it is a vital step towards enhancing the overall quality of life for Stepping-Stone’s residents. By improving comfort, health, and engagement, this funding will have a significant impact on their ability to deliver effective programs and support residents in their journey towards stability and self-sufficiency.
The Drawer
$5,000 | Eagan
The Drawer partners with around 120 orgs throughout MN to provide NEW sock and underwear donations to those in need, especially those experiencing homelessness. They donate over 10,000 pairs a month and are the primary organization in MN for these basic need items. The funding from Open Your Heart will be used to purchase underwear, ensuring their mission and impact continue during the most challenging and critical time of the year, fall and winter.
The Link
$5,000 | Minneapolis
Toward the purchase of supplies for youth experiencing homelessness served by The Link’s Street Outreach Program, C.O.R.E. Drop-In Center and Hotel Emergency Shelter. Providing appropriate supplies for young families, gas cards, bus passes, hygiene supplies, tents and support with auto repairs is crucial to helping youth stay as safe as possible while waiting to access housing, especially during the cold winter months.
The Outreach Program of Brainerd Lakes
$7,000 | Nisswa
Toward a new HVAC system. The Outreach Program of Brainerd Lakes utilizes close to 2,000 volunteers annually. They must have heat and cooling at the facility to allow staff and volunteers to provide a clean and safe environment to pack meals for food insecure households.
The Salvation Army Northern Division
$6,000 | St. Cloud
Toward a new dishwasher. The Salvation Army Northern Division’s weekday lunch program provides three meals daily for community members and emergency shelter clients. Their current dishwasher is 16 years old and needs to be replaced to maintain proper cleaning and sanitation of the dishes used to provide meals. No one has ever turned away from their program and last year they served over 38,433 meals to community members in need.