Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had our sights set on quick but high impact projects in and around Minneapolis. We’ve followed our partnership with The Progressive North from a boutique that doubles as a social enterprise for East African women, to a Lunar New Year Celebration with Mid ANKR, and now, to Casa de Esperanza.
Casa is an organization based in St. Paul that mobilizes communities to help end domestic violence. We were drawn to Casa because they also work with people who don’t feel safe at home – like us, they do this work by meeting people where they’re at.
One of Casa’s main programs is El Refugio, an emergency shelter for women survivors of violence. We learned from Rosario and Sarahi, two of Casa’s staff members, that women at the shelter get there in a hurry – they often come with nothing with them. This is a challenge that’s all too familiar to us – so we decided to do something to help.
Together with The Progressive North, we set out to put together some “move-in kits” for women and their children so that they’re available when they need them most.
Rosario and Sarahi told us what they could use – laundry baskets, detergent, cleaning supplies, pots and pans, cooking utensils, and more – and we put together 5 kits for these families in transition.
The Casa staff were SO appreciative of the kits! The staff from the entire office gathered to receive them with smiles from ear to ear.
“These are a huge, huge help,“ she Sarahi. “During this time, they might not have the means to buy things that are necessary. These baskets are a huge help to them.”
Despite working with communities on different continents, ARC and Casa have a similar mission – helping people get back control of their lives. And with just a little change, we could do something really meaningful for friends and communities close to home – and close to our hearts.
