Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has granted $5,606 to Northfield Community Action Center, whose mission is to help local people "give voice to their hearts" through action and philanthropy. The grant will enable the purchase of a commercial refrigerator and freezer for the organization's food shelf.

Northfield CAC has been helping Northfield area residents for over 36 years by ensuring that low- income families in crisis have food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs. It provides a safety net for about 500 families in the Northfield School District who have difficulty making ends meet. More than 1,000 volunteers from the Northfield community collectively donate over 100,000 hours to the Center per year.

OYH is happy to assist Northfield CAC in providing food to southern Minnesota residents in need.

The Young Women's Christian Association of St. Paul has received a grant of $10,000 from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless. It will use the funds to build playground systems at two of its transitional housing properties, one at Grotto Avenue and the other at Oxford Avenue.

The YWCA's Transitional Housing Program offers a bridge to women with children who want to move from homelessness and dependency to self-sufficiency and independent living. It provides the women with safe, affordable housing, as well as life-skills and job training, literacy and educational services, and a supportive, self- help environment.

OYH is proud to assist the YWCA by contributing toward the two playgound systems at its facilities.

· Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless is pleased to announce that it raised more than $800,000 in Fall 2007 through workplace giving campaigns! This is one of the best campaign years ever thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors who have opened their hearts to the hungry and homeless.

Open Your Heart salutes these campaign partners for their outstanding efforts showing increases this year in their campaigns:

State of Minnesota, Ramsey County, Washington County, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnetonka Public Schools, Metropolitan Council, Minnesota Environmental Fund, CH Robinson Worldwide, Inc., Tapemark Company, Jeffrey Slocum and Associates, Hamline University, City of Plymouth, Three Rivers Park District, Fredrickson & Byron PA, and Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

Thousands of Minnesotans will receive assistance with their food and housing needs from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless in 2008. This is made possible thanks to individuals making pledges and contributions through workplace giving.

Ask your employer to make Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless a choice in your charitable giving campaign. For more information on becoming a campaign partner, call 651-224-8011 or email info@oyh.org.

Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has elected Audrey Anderson, a senior at Hill-Murray School, to its Board of Directors. Her election is an outgrowth of her participation in Hill-Murray service programs benefiting the hungry and homeless.

The OYH Board has created two positions for high school students as a way to involve young people in its mission. The students learn how a non-profit organization works and about the issues surrounding hunger and homelessness. The board positions also encourage volunteerism and community involvement.

Fact of the Month:
The average person spends over $100 on Valentine's Day gifts. (Source: National Retail Federation). That is enough to finance one month of family room amenities at the People Serving People temporary homeless shelter, an OYH grantee.

Quote of the Month:
"A century ago, coal miners kept a caged canary in their mine to detect lethal gases. A dead canary meant danger. Hunger is the miner's canary in our affluent society. Like gases, hunger is invisible, insidious and dangerous if ignored....If we fail to feed hungry Minnesotans now, we will pay a greater price later." --Newell Searle, VP External Relations, Second Harvest Heartland, in a December 21 letter to the editor in the Star Tribune.