People Serving People

Give your child a strong start by enrolling them in our Center of Excellence (COE)! The COE provides infants and children with a high-quality, healing-centered education so they can grow up to be their best selves. Preschool spots will open on September 1, but there are currently open spots in both our Preschool Prep and Infant classes. You can learn more about the COE and access our enrollment forms at https://lnkd.in/eKt-fYFw.

What do you get when you subscribe to People Serving People's e-newsletter? You'll receive information on past and upcoming events, new volunteer shifts, advocacy opportunities, and more straight to your inbox! Sign up now at loom.ly/tEuQwCw.

We could use more meal service volunteers to help us out on the weekends! As a meal service volunteer, you’ll work alongside kitchen staff to serve breakfast, lunch, or dinner to our families. We offer three meal service shifts daily, so you have plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Visit our website to learn more: loom.ly/ISIOVAM. Email [email protected] to sign up today!

Summer is flying by! In just a few weeks, kids will be preparing to go back to school. Help us support our students by participating in our school supply drive, which runs from July 1 through August 26. You can purchase items online via our registries and ship them to our shelter at 614 S 3rd Street in Minneapolis, MN 55415. Amazon Registry - loom.ly/ENAlUZM Target Registry - loom.ly/Fwvw6g8 The items listed on our registries are generic versions of the supplies that students need this year. You're welcome to purchase similar items from other stores instead. Just drop off your donations at our shelter prior to August 26. If you have any questions, please reach out to Meleah at [email protected]. We appreciate your participation and support!

In order to be your best self, you need to have the freedom to be authentic. That can be hard when your workplace isn't accepting of your sexuality. Our Development Director, Amanda E. Finman-Palmer, knows this all too well. "Throughout my career, I've experienced varying levels of comfort regarding how open I could be about my identity," said Amanda. "In college, I was explicitly cautioned against being too vocal about being queer because it might make others uncomfortable. I've often felt isolated as the only queer person in my workplace." This sense of isolation and repression conflicted with her duties in the nonprofit sector, as she explains: "In some fundraising roles, it was challenging to reveal details about my personal life - such as having a girlfriend at the time - which forced me to conform to expectations and limitations. This approach contradicts the essence of fundraising, which is built on authenticity..." Fortunately, Amanda's experience as a proud queer woman in the workplace hasn't always been negative. "...There have been workplaces where my colleagues became friends and celebrated significant personal milestones with me, such as my wedding," she recalled. "Now - whether at work, with new friends, or within the community - I believe it's important to share aspects of my life as anyone else would." And that's exactly what she does at People Serving People! Amanda isn't afraid to model vulnerability and share her life milestones with her colleagues at our shelter. "I haven't faced any doubts about being out at work, and I'm aware that I'm not the only queer person here, which is reassuring. I take pride in exemplifying authenticity, something I couldn't fully embrace earlier in my career." We're so happy that Amanda is able to be her true self at our organization! Her story reminds us why #Pride is so much more than a monthly holiday. It's a call to stand behind our LGBTQ neighbors year-round, so no one has to hide who they truly are. P.S. – Happy 5th anniversary to Amanda and her wife, Aliya! They celebrated this special occasionally alongside their adorable pup, Linus.

We were overjoyed to have faculty from the MacPhail Center for Music host a concert for kids and parents at the Center of Excellence (COE) on Tuesday! Our kids were eager participants in the evening's performance. They clapped their hands, stomped their feet, and sang along with their music instructor, Cari. Students, staff, and parents also got to dance together, enjoy some snacks, and take part in a fun craft. The show contained all the songs that the kids have learned through the early childhood music program, Sing Play Learn with MacPhail®. This program helps students explore musical concepts and develop school-readiness skills. It's been two years since the program came to the COE and it's become a beloved part of our curriculum. We're so grateful to MacPhail for sharing the power of music with our students and putting together this wonderful concert!

Mark you calendars because our largest annual fundraiser, Staying Sheltered, is on the horizon! On October 10, hundreds of community members will gather at Quincy Hall to support the families at People Serving People. The evening will include a heartwarming program, a live and silent auction, a delicious dinner, lively entertainment, and more. Be sure to save the date so you don't miss out on this momentous occasion! If you're interesting in sponsoring this event or purchasing a table, please reach out to Kristy at [email protected].

The grey skies and occasional rain didn't stop us from having a totally awesome Juneteenth celebration on Thursday! Families from People Serving People and St. Anne's Place had a blast taking part in all the festivities. There was face-painting, free books, hula hooping, a BBQ, and a mind-blowing performance from the amazing TKO Drumline and KnockOut Dance Team. This spectacular event wouldn't have been possible without our vendors: Love First Community Engagement, Planting People Growing Justice , Faces U Love, the Hennepin County Library, and the Science Museum of Minnesota. We also want to give a shout-out to our wonderful volunteers at Xcel Energy who helped us serve food throughout the day. Finally, we want to express our appreciation to the Minnesota Vikings for sponsoring this event. Their support helped us pay for snacks, a face-painter, and the incredible dance and drumline performance! We're so grateful to them and all the wonderful people that made this uplifting celebration possible. #Juneteenth

Shout-out to the folks at Stantec for volunteering at St. Anne's Place earlier this week! They helped clean out our vans, which we use to take guests on field trips and transport supplies. Their staff also wiped down our interior shelter walls to remove all the sticky handprints and smudges left by our kiddos. Now they look almost as good as new! We're so thankful they took time out of their week to help our shelter stay beautiful. #SundayShoutOut If you're interested in doing volunteer projects like this at St. Anne's Place, reach out to Kathy at [email protected]!

Does it ever feel overwhelming to keep track of our shelter's various in-kind needs? Well, fear not! Our online registries are the perfect way to shop for essential supplies for our families, all while in the comfort of your own home. They are easy to use and we update them frequently to reflect our guests' latest needs. Make an in-kind donation today with these handy registries: Target - loom.ly/bf7gF2g Amazon - loom.ly/OcfzSJ4