For a week or so now, we’ve been doing the doable right here in Minnesota – reaching out to new neighbors and supporting our amazing local counterpart organizations who are doing important work with refugees in this community.
One such incredible organization is Brian Coyle Community Center, which works with refugee and immigrant communities in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. From employment services to English Language Learning classes, the community center is a critical resource for families living nearby. So on Day 49, we decided to give a boost to one of the center’s very most vital services – their food shelf.
First of all – we were totally blown over by how the ARC community came out in force to support our food drive. We printed a few flyers, sent an email or two that let people know the sort of food that was needed – rice, canned and dried fruits and vegetables, canned meat, oatmeal and cooking oils. In three or four days we collected 575 pounds of food to donate to the food shelf! ARC supporters, staff and the organizations and businesses that we share The Banks Building with have been so incredibly generous.
On the way to drop off all the donations, we stopped at the supermarket. The staff at the food shelf had let us know that they needed some produce, too. So, we loaded up on bananas, potatoes, apples, and other staples. But we also grabbed things like ginger and bok choy – produce that’s more culturally appropriate for the families who use this particular food shelf. And then we pulled around the back of the Brian Coyle Community Center to drop it all off.
“This is incredible. We rarely receive donations of produce, and when we do it’s often not so fresh. So to get so much fresh vegetables and fruit is awesome,” said Sara, the Basic Needs Program Manager. “The produce is flying out of here. People are so excited and I really appreciate it.”
The original dates for the food drive have ended – but the giving hasn’t. The food just keeps coming up the elevator to ARC’s offices and bags are starting to line the hallway again. Soon, we’ll make another big delivery to the food shelf – and we’re thinking about making food drop-offs available on an ongoing basis at ARC Headquarters. After all, there is still plenty of room on the shelves at Brian Coyle.
