Many are well aware of my love for biking. I approached my Board of Directors in the fall of 2024 with a great new idea for an Open Hands Midway fundraiser. I cannot tell you a lot about it at this time as we are still working out all the details but I can tell you this is going to be fun! You do not have to do anything but say, "That sounds great, I want to help". You will get that chance soon. It is I who gets to do the riding. Our plan is that I ride 3,000 miles. Those miles will translate into meals. It might be something along the lines of people can sponsor so much per mile, so much per month, etc. The hope is that I will ride so our guests can eat. That means the money raised will help to offset costs of purchasing the food we need to make the meals. I am going to make some attempts to see if I can get local media to take notice, maybe ask my local bike shop to be a sponsor and who knows what else. As we are in the early stages of this there are many things we have yet to iron out. Right now it is my hope that you will be excited and want to join in by supporting my efforts. If you doubt I can do this, well then you must have missed that I biked 5,385 miles last year! Never underestimate my love for biking or my passion to help Open Hands Midway serve our neighbors in need. Stay tuned to learn more in the near future, just sayin'...
As we enter 2025, and continue to celebrate our 15th Anniversary, it amaze me what we are able to do if we put our whole hearts behind it. You read all the reasons that we are so thankful. Now it is my turn to personally offer my sincere thanks to show my appreciation.
I am grateful for the many volunteers I have the pleasure to serve along side each and every week. These delightful people take time out of their day to care about others before self. They serve with a smile on their face. They welcome our guests into an atmosphere of love, respect and compassion.
I am grateful to the 10+ years I have spent in this role as Executive Director.
I am grateful for Pastor Steve Slostad who took the chance and asked the Board of Directors to appointment as he successor.
I am grateful for the community partnerships we have established who are tuned into the needs of our neighborhood by providing additional food, clothing, jobs, and more for our guests. Did you know that in our community a meal is provided every day of the week? That is pretty incredible that we are able to say we are a part of that.
I am grateful for the guests we serve each week, to learn their names and to know they feel welcome in our space.
I am grateful for Meals from the Heart, Second Harvest Heartland, Luther Westside Volkswagen, the MN United, Bell Lumber & Pole Company, Thrivent Financial, and Blaze Credit Union for the ways in which they assist us in serving our guests.
I am grateful for Bethlehem Lutheran Church (where we are housed) who faithfully support us in a myriad of ways.
I am grateful for John, our Food Shelf Specialist, and Steve, our Cook/Kitchen Manager for ALL they do as a part of our staff. They are two awesome and amazing people that I cannot praise enough.
Finally, I am grateful for my Board of Directors, awesome and amazing people who have a deep passion for our community to live into our mission.
It is my hope that 2025 will be a great year for us. As my late friend, Maryls-Stanga Haslow would say, "Surprise me God!" Just sayin'...
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