BLACK LIVES MATTER

Assisi House provides living space for previously unhoused individuals in small, communal settings where each person is treated with dignity and respect.  Assisi House has 3 core aims: 1) To keep people safe and warm throughout the winter months (November-March); 2) To create stable, year-round housing meant as a foundation for’ transition into permanent housing; 3) To provide residents with meaningful relationships as well as access to resources and other services in an effort to bring homelessness to an end.  In both the US (source) and St. Louis (source), to be black is to run a disproportionate likelihood of being in poverty, and thus, black and brown persons are therefore at increased risk for homelessness.

The 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis is comprised of a diverse group of men including business executives, community leaders, entrepreneurs, clergy, and elected officials.  The organization was formed in direct response to the number of young persons of color at risk to for academic and legal issues. The goal of the organization is to identify youth who are going to have a turbulent transition to adulthood and offer positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives, with particular focus on  Leadership, Education, Health & Wellness, and Economic Empowerment.

Urban Harvest STL grows healthy produce across a network of seven urban farms in the heart of St. Louis and donate the majority of the harvest to nonprofit partners serving communities with limited or non-existent access to healthy, nutritious food.  To be clear, these communities are typically low-income, black/brown neighborhoods — both in the US (source) and St. Louis (source), to be black is to run a disproportionate likelihood of being in poverty.  In 2019 alone, UHSTL grew and gleaned 4794 pounds of food, distributed 2094 healthy meals to families and individuals in low-access communities, and dedicated 6129 volunteer hours of service to the community.

The Listening, Inc. is a community where arts advocacy, social justice, and youth mentoring connect, and where young people are encouraged to take notice of the world around them and engage passionately and with purpose.  Founder Nick George‘s previous relationship with Change, Inc.’s founder paved the way for a partnership between our organizations.  By asking a sole question — “If you had a room full of people willing to listen to you, what would you say?”– The Listening, Inc aspires to be a safe place where young people engage the performing arts to ask questions, develop answers, perform with purpose and change the world around them.

Girls in the Know (GITK) inspires & empowers St. Louis-area girls to make healthy, confident decisions through the provision of a 4-week empowerment workshop series, led by female professionals in their fields to pre-teen girls (and trusted parents/caregivers they bring with them), on topics ranging from friendships to puberty to safety to bullying to nutrition and exercise.  GITK undertakes specific efforts to reach black and brown communities with their life-giving message of hope and empowerment.  In 2018 alone, GITK educated 540 girls in both their school-based underserved community efforts and their at-large community efforts.