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Friend
There is a chill in the air and the fall leaves are turning
color. The kids are back in school. It is campaign season and winter
is just around the corner.
This is an exciting time of year at Open Your Heart to the Hungry
and Homeless for many reasons. In these uncertain economic times we
are working hard to help Minnesotans who are most in need. We think
it is more important than ever to be good stewards of our donors'
dollars and to carry out our mission efficiently. I am happy to
share several exciting bits of news with you all.
First, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless will be
unveiling its new website this fall. Our newly designed website is
possible thanks to a grant of $25,000 from the Otto Bremer
Foundation. Through this generous support our website will be an
essential tool in promoting awareness about the issues of hunger and
homelessness. Our appreciation goes to the Otto
Bremer Foundation for this essential assistance.
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless is also pleased to
announce that it has been awarded the Charities Review Council
"Meets All Standards" Seal indicating it meets all sixteen of the
council's accountability standards. Nonprofit organizations earn the
seal by voluntarily participating and meeting standards in four
critical areas- Public Disclosure, Governance, Financial Activity
and Fundraising. You can learn more about the online Giving Guide of
the Council's Smart Givers Network at smartgivers.org
We would also like to report that with the school year now
underway, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless continues to
help students without permanent homes through education grants. This
year we were happy to award 49 education grants that will reach an
estimated 9,000 students in K-12. This assistance helps these
students to stay engaged in school and its activities.
Lastly, each fall employees across Minnesota have the opportunity
to make a contribution or payroll deduction pledge to Open Your
Heart through their workplace giving campaign. If your workplace
doesn't offer Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless as a choice
for employees, ask your employer to include our organization.
Remember employees can even designate their contribution or payroll
deduction pledge through United Way.
As you can see, our board members, staff and volunteers continue
to work diligently to carry out our mission to help Minnesotans most
in need. During this autumn season, a time of nature's bountiful
harvest, many Minnesotans both young and old are experiencing great
uncertainty and scarcity. We can not let them down. Let's continue
to work together to do what we each can do to help our most
vulnerable citizens.
Arna Yetter
Executive Director
| Back to
School: 2008/2009 Education Grants |
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Now that
the leaves are changing and students are settled back into
school, it's a good time to mention our list of Education
Grants for the 2008/2009 school year.
Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has granted to
total of $135,493 to 49 organizations this year. Individual
amounts range from $365 for Theresa House in Mankato, MN, to
$7,595 for Women's Advocates, Inc., of St. Paul.
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| Agency
Spotlight: Partners for Affordable Housing, Mankato,
MN |
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Open Your
Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has granted $6,591 to
Partners for Affordable Housing. The grant will be used for
security cameras and access- control systems at PAH's
facilities, which serve homeless, near-homeless and low-income
individuals and families in southern Minnesota.
PAH
operates The Welcome Inn Transitional Living Center, for
emergency and short-term transitional housing; The Welcome
Home Transitional Housing Program, for long-term transitional
housing (up to two years); and Liberty Homes & Apartments,
permanent, affordable housing facility for 30 people. PAH also
offers tenant and home buyer education programs.
OYH is
happy to be able to support Partners for Affordable Housing's
important mission by enabling the purchase of security
equipment for its facilities.
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| Agency
Spotlight: Pillsbury United Communities, Minneapolis,
MN |
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Pillsbury
United Communities will be able to purchase a refrigerator,
freezer, pallet, jack and shelving, thanks to a $9,278 grant
from Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless. PUC manages
12 locations: six neighborhood centers, two supportive housing
projects, a professional live theatre, and an employment and
training center.
A
descendant of the Settlement House Movement, the organization
and its 200 full-time and part-time staffers serve 35,000
people a year. It considers its programs to be about
relationship-building rather than hand-outs or charity.
Services include child care, after-school activities and a
crisis nursery; citizenship and English classes; job
opportunities and recreational activities for the
developmentally challenged; health insurance enrollment and
pro bono legal assistance; vocational training for people with
criminal histories; arts and theater programs and
performances; affordable housing; and youth employment
training and college readiness programs, among others.
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| Did You Know? |
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Fact
of the Month:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness
Month. One of every three homeless women in Minnesota is
homeless at least in part due to domestic violence, according
to Wilder Research Center. In fiscal 2006, 5,295 battered
women and 5,131 children in Minnesota utilized emergency
shelter services, according to the Office of Justice Programs,
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. (Source: Minnesota
Coalition for Battered Women, 2008.)
Quote
of the Month:
"You think some months it might get
better, but it really doesn't. There's a continual spiraling
up." - Mary Felmlee, volunteer at the Red Wing Area Food
Shelf, quoted in Hunger Solutions News, September 26,
2008.
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Reaching
Out: A Celebration of Service |
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Please
join us at our annual fall event on Thursday, October 23 from
5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Christo's Union Depot, 214 Fourth Street
East in St. Paul.
The
program begins at 6:30 p.m., hosted by FOX 9 meterologist
Christine Clayburg and will include recognition of sponsors
and outstanding workplace giving campaigns, as well as
speakers from some of the agencies that Open Your Heart
supports. In addition to the program, you'll be able to enjoy
Christo's Greek appetizers, a cash bar, consider a purchase or
two during the silent auction, and groove to the sounds of the
Chris Lomheim Trio. It will be a fun evening.
Tickets
for our event are $30 per person if purchased ahead of time,
and $35 per person at the door. Click here
to purchase your tickets online. For more information, you may
contact us by phone at 651-224-8011 or email at info@oyh.org
Come
celebrate another year of service to hungry and homeless
Minnesotans, and help support us in our important mission
going forward. We hope to see you there!
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