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Prioritizing the Poor
Letter from Founder and Executive Director, Reverend Shawn Morrison
Dear Friends,
I recently had the opportunity to offer a reflection concerning service to the poor for a faith-based Christian gathering. We read the following Bible passage found in 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 8:
“The Lord raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap to seat them with nobles”.
It’s interesting to note that those who are disadvantaged by a lack of resources seem to have a special place of priority and nearness to the heart of God.
With the dramatic rise in the cost of living, Good in the ‘Hood is faced with a rapidly growing need for basic resources and the services we offer. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Will we embrace these same divine priorities to lift the needy?” How can each of us personally lift those who have been discarded into the garbage heap of human condescension? Are they worth our time, our attention, our effort, and even our dollar to help advocate a better circumstance for them and to “seat them with nobles?” Certainly, God thinks so.
Giving a hand-up to the disadvantaged is rarely an easy venture, nor is it without some level of blessed messiness. But…it is good. As someone once said regarding the challenges associated with helping people, “Is it our preference to have the neat and perfect order of the graveyard, or the messy and chaotic disorder of the birth and delivery room”? This is certainly a thought worth considering.
Have a MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY!
Reverend Shawn Morrison
Founder & Executive Director
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The holidays are a time of family, good food, gratitude, and celebration. However, for those living in marginalized circumstances, this is often not the case. Many are unable to provide even the most basic needs for either themselves or their loved ones. A mother shared…
“I’ve been homeless for a couple years with my kids. I was finally able to move to my own place again and provide a roof over my kids’ head, but I wasn’t able to provide a Christmas for them. Then a stranger referred me to Good in the ‘Hood. Thank you for blessing my kids with a Christmas!” —Danielle
WE NEED YOUR HELP! We invite you to join our HOLIDAY HELP CAMPAIGN so that together we can offer good cheer and much needed relief to hundreds of hurting families and children during the holiday season. Adopt-a-Family in need, donate gift cards, or cash today! Learn more at www.goodinthehood.org/holiday-help
We also provide emergency food supplies, winter coats, and warm hats and mittens to the unsheltered during the holidays. Please see our website to learn how you can help.
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Watch our 2022 Holiday Help Video!
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A program of Good in the ‘Hood, our SoleCare for Souls medical foot care program recently hosted our 13th Annual Fundraiser with the theme “Put Your Best Foot Forward”. It was a beautiful fall day and we were joined by several volunteers, supporters, sponsors, and friends as we were inspired and learned about the impact this program is having for those in need of our services.
One of our client guests, gave an emotional talk. Ron shared, with tears flowing down his face, “I am so grateful for all the wonderful ladies who serve and the people who run this program. I don’t think anyone could do a better job than my dear brothers and sisters. They’re so warm and welcoming. They are a blessing. I love them and they love me. I couldn’t do this myself. My life wouldn’t be the same without it and I’m grateful to be with these good people who really care for one another”.
Londa Somers, our Medical Manager (pictured) presented us with valuable statistics highlighting both the historical and current impact of SoleCare for Souls, “Since the beginning of SoleCare in 2006, 26,412 pairs of feet have been cared for. So far (this year) through September 2022, 1,341 pairs of feet have received care. 1,045 unique individuals have been served including 346 foot care sessions for people living with diabetes. 174 tubes of athlete’s foot cream have been distributed. Volunteers have served for 2,064 hours.” She added, “Each session costs around $750.” We’re truly grateful for this amazing legacy of service that continues to grow and is only made possible by you, our dedicated volunteers and supporters. We’re truly grateful for this amazing legacy of service that continues to grow and is only made possible by you, our dedicated volunteers and supporters.
GOING MOBILE! During our ‘Put Your Best Foot Forward’ fundraiser event, Londa introduced and provided tours of our new SoleCare for Souls Mobile unit (pictured). This was courtesy of a generous sponsorship by Eagle Brook Church, Woodbury!
If you missed the event but still want to give towards this important program, visit: www.goodinthehood.org/solecare
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Buying shoes might not seem like a burden for some of us who are reading this but, for many families, proper fitting shoes are a luxury they simply cannot afford. Imagine a child going to school with shoes 2 sizes too small and with open holes in them.
Our Shoe Away Hunger Program offers affordable quality footwear for those in need. In addition, it helps us to raise important funding to support our multiple food program sites. We have seen and had the privilege to serve desperate people wearing only flip flops in the winter, and parents reduced to tears because they simply cannot afford a new pair of shoes for their children.
“Kids grow out of shoes so fast. My son has worn three shoe sizes this summer! When I can get quality shoes for $2 or $5, that’s amazing.” – Angela
PLEASE HELP! With back-to-school shopping and the holiday season, our kids shoes are almost completely out of stock! We need warm boots and other quality shoes as our inventory has been shrinking while the needs continue to grow. PLEASE HELP by hosting a shoe drive, donating your own new or gently used shoes, or by giving financially.
We’re truly grateful for our caring friends and partners at Schuler Shoes who have a long history of generously giving back to our local community! You can drop your new or gently used shoes off at any Schuler Shoes store. Working together we can shoe away hunger! Learn more on our website www.goodinthehood.org/shoe-away-hunger
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Each month, we are serving approximately 7,500 people at over 30+ food partner sites across the metros area, and we are continuing to be stretched to meet the ever-increasing needs of the hungry, hurting, and often unsheltered people in our local communities. Nearly 100% of those we serve are low-income households. This includes children, seniors, families, students, immigrants/refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those with disabilities.
On Thursday, November 17th we will participate in our annual Give To The Max Day online fundraising event. With your donation of any size made before and/or by midnight that day, we can respond to the specific needs of our neighbors and ensure they have access to the food they need to live happy and healthy lives. Thank you for your support!
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At Good in the ‘Hood, we believe in doing with people rather than merely doing for them. We invite you to partner with us in one or more of the following ways:
- Join Our Team as an on-call, part time, or full-time staff member. For more information please contact Jamie Morrison, Director of Operations and Human Resources at jamie@goodinthehood.org
- Volunteer in one of our many programs and services.
- Host a shoe drive for our Shoe Away Hunger program and/or sponsor the cost of a shoe bus event for only $250.
- Donate funds securely online or by check.
- Sponsor a family in our 10-4-1 giving campaign. $10 will pay for the cost of groceries for 4 people for 1 week.
Please visit our website for more information. Thanks, so much for your kind support as we work together to influence, inspire, and impact individuals, families, and entire communities for good! |
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THANK YOU to our generous funders, donors, supporters, & partners!
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We simply could not serve the hungry and hurting in our communities without the generous support of our gracious funders, donors, supporters, and partners.
A special thank you:
Schuler Shoes
Eagle Brook Church Woodbury
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Plymouth
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington
Cedar Valley Church
Hosanna! Church
Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities
Emmaus Lutheran Church in Bloomington
Lakeside Church
Recent grants awarded from:
The Tourville Family Foundation
Second Harvest Heartland
The Peace Shalom Foundation
Open Your Heart
Summer Challenge
Twin Cities Co-op Partners
C.H. Robinson
H.E. and Helen Warren
Foundation
Medica Foundation
Lathrop GMP Foundation
SoleCare for Souls Event Sponsorships:
PLATINUM:
Schuler Shoes
Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
Summit Investment Advisors/
S. McDermott
SILVER:
The Little Blind Spot
The Willow Group
BRONZE:
The MPX Group
ABC Sign & Graphic
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