Project Hope MN

Hello to friends and family, near and far!

We are Team Hope - friends who came together last year to sponsor and welcome a family coming to the US as refugees, last fall. We very much appreciated your help in that journey; because of your support, the family has settled in and is building their lives in Saint Paul.

Now, our sponsorship team is banding together to support a grassroots organization created by one of our members, Vanessa Jenkins. Project H.O.P.E. MN is a nonprofit that provides direct services in the Twin Cities area to:

Women and children seeking refuge from intimate violence

African-American young adults seeking culturally-appropriate mental health services and

Families who are homeless or on the edge of becoming homeless.

In the first week of April, alone, three families came to Project H.O.P.E. with immediate needs for shelter.

Project H.O.P.E. strives to serve the whole person, from meeting basic needs like housing and food, to organizing community game nights to help people build connections. The most urgent need often is housing; but once a family is in a safe place, they can begin to address their other challenges.

For example, many of the people served by Project H.O.P.E. are dealing with grief. One mother, seeking help, shared:

My son lost his brother to suicide... I don’t think he has ever dealt with it. I never dealt with it, either. My son is now using again, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose another son. I don’t know where or what to do anymore to get help.

Vanessa and her team are there to provide immediate comfort and assistance, and to connect people with services that can support them in healing and getting ground under their feet.

Because Project H.O.P.E. does its work through volunteers and partnerships with other organizations, 100 percent of donated funds go to direct services - paying for apartment rental applications, emergency food and baby supplies, emergency transportation, and ensuring that children have clothes and school supplies.

This on-the-ground work is provided by an all-volunteer staff; Vanessa and her team do not draw salaries. They have some grant funding; but they put a lot of their own money toward meeting these emergency needs.

To raise funds to cover operating costs, Project H.O.P.E. MN is hosting its first-ever gala on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Minneapolis! https://www.dontlosehopemn.org/galaregistration

We have set a goal of raising $6,500, specifically to underwrite the cost of the catering for this event; and all donations to this fundraising effort will go directly to this cause. Donations made through this GoFundMe page will go directly to Project H.O.P.E., and are tax-deductible. Project H.O.P.E. MN has been a member of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits since 2022.

You are also invited to purchase your tickets to the gala! Senator Amy Klobuchar will be the keynote speaker, and the co-chairs are:

Our team is awed by our friend and refugee-sponsorship teammate, Vanessa Jenkins, in her unwavering commitment to address the basic needs of others. Our team has many stories of how we were able to stretch your donations for the Hromov family because of Vanessa’s generosity, resourcefulness, and established relationships with housing providers and local nonprofits. We sincerely hope that you will consider joining us in supporting the continued success of Project H.O.P.E MN and its amazing work for youth and families in the Twin Cities.

Thank you!

Team HOPE