Tiny Diner. Big Dreams. Cooking for Community.

Valerie Quintana is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

UPDATE 12/15/23:

SEEKING SPONSORS: Making meals with meaning. "Earn & Learn" chefs in transformative recovery from substance abuse or incarceration prepare meals for hungry Minnesotans.

By community. For community.

OUR MISSION:

The Real Minneapolis cultivates multi-generational hope, health and healing for the most disinvested communities by thoughtfully listening. We meet people where they are at, then gently usher them to somewhere better. It’s not your better. Or my better. It’s their better.

OUR STORY:

We have lived experience. We are people in transformative recovery from homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration who harness our superpowers to help others. Think of us as a conduit: We get resources of wealth and abundance to those who need it the most.

UPDATE 12/1/23:

We've distributed 50,000 meals since Fall of 2020 -- now we're gonna cook'em up too!

Do you know any organizations or philanthropic individuals that support food scarcity, economic development via job skills, recovery from opioid abuse, mental health or addressing the social determinants of health?

We are seeking charitable donations, or even smaller sponsorships to our small grassroots nonprofit in order to meet our goal of $25k by end of year. "Tiny Diner. Big Dreams." is our current priority project, which will teach professional culinary trade skills, create meaningful jobs for youth and those in recovery, provide supportive services for housing, substance abuse, etc -- all while preparing 500-1,000 meals a week for homelessness!

We will also be sharing space with BIPOC caterers creating culturally specific deliciousness. Rates for commercial kitchen rentals can be quite high. We will offer a deep discount and work towards very minimal rental rates in order to support the economic development of BIPOC entrepreneurs. We are able to do this through strategic grantwriting.

Second Harvest Heartland pays for most of the labor and half our operational costs -- and we need to raise the rest!

FUNDING UPDATE: More than $3,000 was donated by early August for summer and fall outreach and support. The title was previously "Hope for Homelessness by The Real Minneapolis" and we changed to "Tiny Diner. Big Dreams to support our 2024 initiatives.)

UPDATE 7/27/23: Recent media coverage:

️

Today Show, (S2023 E1740), aired 7/26/23

FOX9, aired 7/27/23 (for non-locals: this is not the same as nat'l Fox!)

fox9.com/news/how-mental-health-disintegrates-during-extreme-heat?fbclid=IwAR1DH77WyhVpuVjCrwZT3y-TJ9GnLzJxKN2PGS5ewobs3jLIfraFDrE_AZg

️️️MPR, aired 7/26/23

mprnews.org/story/2023/07/26/the-real-minneapolis-provides-relief-from-the-heat-for-people-experiencing-homelessness

KARE11, aired 7/23/23

kare11.com/article/news/local/nonprofit-prepares-help-unhoused-during-incoming-heatwave/89-fcc8605d-06f5-4d67-8b1d-16f661af38eb

#love #compassion #hope #health #healing #homeless #kindness #community #equity #recovery #wedorecover

The Real Minneapolis is a small grassroots 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate hope, health and healing. This fundraiser was created to enable us to continue to serve the unhoused population, especially in the sweltering summer heat, which requires additional outreach and support.

As public health ambassadors, we have consistently addressed the social determinants of health since our inception after the police murder of George Floyd. (realmpls.org) We respond to the immediate and fluid needs of the most disinvested communities by thoughtfully listening, in real time, then we carefully curate projects and develop collaborative partnerships to maximize our impact. It is through this consistent and loving presence that we have developed very trusting relationships. And trust is everything in this community, now more than ever.

Your donations will fund:

HOPEmobile Operations - Our custom motorhome serves as a one-stop shop and command center to provide essential supplies, as well as usher our unhoused friends indoors for services. We have distributed nearly 40,000 meals (rain or shine, 5 times a week), 1,000+ life-saving Naloxone kits, 10,000+ socks, underwear and new clothing items, innumerable hygiene and feminine products, warm gear and more. Donations will cover staffing, vehicle insurance, fuel, maintenance, essential supplies, etc.

(Katie, one of our amazing volunteers)

Mpls CareCollab Operations - Our HOPEmobile led us to Mpls CareCollab, a unique drop-in center for people experiencing homelessness, providing housing and substance use case management, healing circles, showers and new change of clothes, nutritious meals, first aid, digital access, and more. The Phillips neighborhoods of South Minneapolis are a veritable “vortex of scarcity” – no services such as shelter, prepared meals, drop-in centers, etc. within a mile radius. We saw a need and we filled it. Donations will cover staffing, underwear, t-shirts, hygiene supplies (deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)

(Metro State University nursing students receive clinical credit while working with us.)

Mentorship & Skill-Building - We employ and train amazing individuals who have recently overcome insurmountable barriers including living in encampments, opioid and substance abuse, untreated mental health conditions, etc. We also employ disinvested BIPOC teens (some since July of 2020!). Donations will cover summer wages.
Other Operational Costs - Donations will cover a portion of our professional insurance, office/storage, and other standard administrative costs.

As subject matter experts with lived experience of homelessness, heroin addiction, incarceration and childhood scarcity, our team has a unique ability to share our tragedy-to-transformation stories in impactful ways. We serve as a conduit to ensure vital resources get into the hands and hearts of those who need them the most.

We appreciate you.

With hope,

The Real Minneapolis Team