COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Currently we have two Community Partners - Avenues for Youth and the Richfield STEM School through the work of Every Meal. Our hope is to add a third community partner in early 2022.
While we may say an intentional yes to three Community Partners - we have many beloved organizations here in the Twin Cities and beyond and we will continue to support and celebrate their work! You can read more about those here…
Avenues for Youth
We were drawn to the mission of Avenues for Youth for so many reasons but two things stand out: we appreciate Avenues' commitment to young people in the midst of their immediate circumstances and Avenues’ commitment to the ongoing work of addressing the systems that perpetuate homelessness. In our partnership with Avenues, we are committed to long-term learning and conversations - seeking to understand the root causes and systemic injustices leading to homelessness and doing our part to bring healing and change.
Every Meal & Richfield STEM School
“One in five kids in Minnesota don't have access to enough food.” This heartbreaking statistic propelled us into a partnership with Every Meal. Every Meal works day in and day out to address the unthinkable reality that more than 300,000 children in Minnesota live with food insecurity by filling the gaps in food access that children face during weekends, summers, and extended breaks. Through our Community Partnership with Every Meal - we support the students and faculty at the Richfield STEM School - an amazing community just 7 miles east on Highway 62.
Coming soon
One of our commitments as we discern this next partnership is our hope that the organization would be led by a black, indigenous, or person of color as we desire to continue to elevate their work.
The Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. Micah 6:8
We have a little saying at Upper Room that has stuck through the years, “Let what we do in here, fill the streets out there.” Meaning that our hope is that we would never become a community that exists unto ourselves and we hope to always find ourselves supporting amazing organizations “doing their good work in the world”.
Sometimes this means sharing our financial resources, sometimes this means offering a helping hand, sometimes this means learning about systemic injustices, and sometimes this means dropping off treats for elementary school teachers who show up day after day for their students.
In this next chapter, Upper Room is committed to supporting and learning from the work of our Community Partners through three intentional commitments over a three year period:
The Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. Micah 6:8
We have a little saying at Upper Room that has stuck through the years, “Let what we do in here, fill the streets out there.” Meaning that our hope is that we would never become a community that exists unto ourselves and we hope to always find ourselves supporting amazing organizations “doing their good work in the world”.
Sometimes this means sharing our financial resources, sometimes this means offering a helping hand, sometimes this means learning about systemic injustices, and sometimes this means dropping off treats for elementary school teachers who show up day after day for their students.
In this next chapter, Upper Room is committed to supporting and learning from the work of our Community Partners through three intentional commitments over a three year period:
GIVE
Financial component:
A commitment to support the organization financially - with direct funds or in-kind donations
.png)
SERVE
Serving component:
A commitment to tangibly support the work of the organization with our time and energy
LEARN
Co-learning component:
A commitment to come alongside the organization and learn together about the work they are doing and the systemic injustices they are working to overcome.