JUNE 14, 2024 COMMUNITY CARE FedUp Ministries grand reopening From Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, FedUp Ministries has been feeding low-income and homeless people, not only food to sustain life, but also food for thought and spiritual growth, while also providing employment and volunteering opportunities in our community. Servicing the Washtenaw Community for four years, FedUp has now opened their ministries of presence in the heart of downtown Ypsilanti. Their first day of operation was June 3. In the month of April, FedUp Ministries announced they had made an agreement with Growing Hope to rent the front space in the old bank at 16 S. Washington Street (now called Black Lives Matter Boulevard) which Growing Hope is using as a farmers’ market and incubator kitchen. The agreement is that FedUp Ministries will rent the building to provide services for those in need of food, clothing, showers, laundry, bathroom, and more. FedUp will rent space for the summer on a trial basis to see how things turn out. On June 3, 2024, FedUp Ministries opened its doors for free services that include (see schedule on next page): • Church service • Prepared hot meals: breakfast and lunch • Showers • Laundry • Bathrooms • Fun activities and more! I got to speak to my friend Pastor Anna, and I asked her how she feels about serving the community in the heart of downtown Ypsilanti. She said, ”It is exciting and there is a need for a ‘third space’ — your first space is your home, your second space is your work, and third is where you can come (without the expectation to have to pay money) in order to have a social space to https://fedupministries.org/give, please donate because these provided services are needed in our community." As I continued to mosey around, MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 belong; most people we serve can’t afford to patronize local restaurants and bars to socialize. We want to create a space where people can get their basic needs met and have a community environment where all people feel welcome to come and be social and find a sense of belonging, which they might struggle to find elsewhere.” I asked her, how do you feel, and plan to adjust to serving the community five days a week versus 2-3 times a week, basically going from a parttime to a full-time operation? “ We do usually work five to six day work weeks with our catering services, that helps with providing our free services to those in need, so we are used to working a full-time schedule, and I’m hoping this provides better scheduling structure for staff by having a base, and a daily routine, as we also continue to serve in a mobile capacity as well.” I wrapped up by asking: Is there anything else you would like the public to know? “I would like for people to know they can donate to our organization on our website: I ran into kitchen team lead Caelan Saunders and one of the cooks, Todd Crawley, at FedUp Ministries. I asked both of them how the first day has been so far. Saunders said “... exciting to see all the people come by and enjoy themselves and get the food they need because I believe these services should be happening year round, so I’m really happy to be a part of getting this all set up for a fun hot summer.” Crawley said, “This is the best job I ever had because I love to cook and serve the community.” I then asked Crawley, “What is your favorite dish to dish out?” “Chicken wings," he said; “they are better than Buffalo Wild Wings.” So, there you have it folks. Free food, showers, laundry, bathrooms, Sunday worship, and other services and activities right there in downtown Ypsi. FedUp Ministries Summer 2024 Schedule: Sunday: Church Service 10 a.m. and food truck 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Growing Hope location, portable showers and bathrooms available. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: Breakfast from 9-11a.m. Lunch from 12-3 p.m. Portable showers and bathrooms available. Every Wednesday: food truck will serve free lunch at Liberty Plaza at 12 p.m. in Ann Arbor and at the Ypsilanti Transit Center at 1:30-2:30 p.m. GROUNDCOVER NEWS What’s Happening at the Ann Arbor District Library Open 10am–8pm Daily Hang out in any of our five locations across town, browsing books, magazines, newspapers, and more, or check out movies, CDs, art prints, musical instruments, and home tools— you name it! Study and meeting rooms, fast and free WiFi, and plenty of places to sit and hang out. The Summer Game If you’re reading this, the 2024 Summer Game has officially commenced! Use your Library this summer to find codes, solve puzzles, attend events, and earn points toward awesome AADL prizes. Visit aadl.org/play to learn more and get started! Michigan Activity Pass With a valid library card from any Michigan public library, you can print a pass to participating organizations, including museums and state parks, through the Michigan Activity Pass website. Some partners offer complimentary or reduced-price admission; others, discounts in their gift shop or other exclusive offers. FEATURED EVENT AADL AT RESPONSE from last page before police, and there will be a time after. Community-based safety has been around in other forms: volunteer fire departments, neighborhood watch programs that include “safe zones” which are trusted neighbors whom kids can turn to for help. I remember being in the safety patrol in elementary school. Our primary goal was to make sure our peers were not hit by cars on the way home. We had structure, training, guidelines and leadership. Our purpose was simple and our method based on community response. Each volunteer was posted near their own home and would stand on the corner blocking students if there were cars in the intersection. We wore orange sashes to indicate our role. We had no authority, we were simply taking turns keeping each other safe. There are many community-based safety organizations popping up around the country. Hopefully, with them will come the shift in consciousness necessary to replace our current justice system with something that works better — a system based on compassion and care as opposed to policing, control and oppression. *Names have been changed. June 14–30 at Ann Arbor Summer Fest: Top of the Park AADL is thrilled to partner with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival to host a medley of performances and events for 2024, including family-friendly Kids Rock performances and Top of the Park editions of World Famous Trivia and Nerd Nite! Check out the full schedule of AADL events at A2SF at aadl.org/a2sf. 5
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