Poverty is a many-headed dragon. Racism, lack of education, generational cultural issues, drugs, incarceration of someone in the family, you name it—it all stands in the way of lifting folks out of poverty and the limits that surround them.
From the beginning, UNITE INDY knew that although there were many hands at work in our city, so many of these efforts suffer and many fail due to their lack of the simple supplies and assistance they need every day to do their work, like diapers, or socks, or people to work along side them. To that end, we introduced our Meet The Need web portal. On this site, ministries and charities upload their needs for volunteers and items they require, and the great people of our city have responded.
But smaller churches and charities, which do such great work in their pockets of influence are strained to the limit. They are surrounded by so much need, but lack the help required to even make their needs known.
Enter the The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), which responded to our request for funding to support an AmeriCorps hire, sponsored by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, to help with this need. Because of the foundation's grant, UNITE INDY will be able to offer the services of a full time AmeriCorps volunteer to work with these smaller urban service providers, acting as their liaison to our Meet the Need system starting in September. For the first time, their important needs will be made public, so that the good people of Indianapolis can reach out and help them in their crucial work.
CICF and its affiliate are dedicated to fighting racism by whatever means possible. UNITE INDY supports them in their work as we build bridges of trust, friendship and care in every neighborhood—now through support of our all-important smaller local churches, ministries and charities.
TODAY: Please go to the UNITE INDY Meet the Need portal. See if you too can do something to help those who are at work feeding people, clothing people, caring for children, and filling the many gaps of need. Through them you can make a difference. Through you, we can say, "help truly is on the way."
Blessings,
Nancy
