Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs’ Post

September is FEMA's National Preparedness Month, and now is the perfect time to boost your city's resilience. This month, I'm sharing 7 key FEMA grants that could make all the difference. The next up? #5 Emergency Food and Shelter Program https://hubs.li/Q02PWSwH0 The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) is a FEMA-funded program that supplements and expands ongoing work of local nonprofit and governmental social service organizations to provide shelter, food and supportive services to individuals and families who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, hunger and/or homelessness. Want to quickly identify all the weather-vulnerable dwellings in your city? City Detect's AI-powered platform helps cities across the US map housing conditions to find tarps on roofs, broken windows, and more. Contact us today to start the conversation: https://hubs.li/Q02PWSym0 #NationalPreparednessMonth #StartAConversation #CommunitySafety #EmergencyPreparedness #Resilience #AIforGood #SmartCities

November is #HomelessnessAwarenessMonth and November 17-23 is Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (#HHWeek). Food insecurity is skyrocketing. We see it among the people we serve, the communities we are in, and even among some of our staff. 50% of working households in New York City are struggling to make ends meet. And food scarcity increases anxiety and depression. We know that hunger doesn’t fall equally across the city, it hits particularly hard in communities of color and the people we serve. As an organization advancing social justice, S:US is at the forefront of hunger and homelessness. Our Food Security White Paper explores the complexities of food insecurity and calls for collective action to eradicate it. Through our Urbans Farms and Community Fridges, we’re addressing food access in the communities we live and work in. Last year, we grew over 12,200 pounds of produce, equivalent to 8,500 meals, to support New Yorkers in need. At S:US, we’re raising awareness about hunger and homelessness every day while working towards systemic changes that address their root causes.

Hello LinkedIn 👋 We’re the Community Share Food Bank (CSFB), serving the Don Mills community in Toronto for 20 years. Community Share was founded in response to the growing issue of food insecurity in our community. The need was clear, and our initiative began with a simple yet profound mission: to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. 20 years of alleviating hunger later, our commitment remains as the need grows. CSFB usage has skyrocketed over the past few years, with a 130% increase since 2019. Change is long overdue. To mark our 20th year we will be joining calls for systemic changes that aim at the root causes of hunger: 🌱 Let’s talk the human right to food; food rescue initiatives; and urban gardening. 🤝 Let’s collaborate in advocating on employment for marginalized populations; updated, adequate social supports; and deeply affordable housing - among many other intersecting factors of poverty. 💬 We're eager to contribute to realizing human rights, including food, employment, housing, and health. We’re here to join a caring community and be part of the solutions, together. Follow CSFB on LinkedIn for more fresh updates. Let’s connect and raise our voices! 📣 #communitysharefoodbank #foodbank #foodinsecurity #urbangardening #foodrescue #righttofood #advocacy #socialsupport #affordablehousing #donmills #employment #community #nonprofit

Providing emergency food relief has become normalised in our communities - out of necessity. The scale of the problem is off the charts and community centres and neighbourhood centres are often providing this support, without adequate funding. Thats why StreetSmart funds food relief programs, and community meals, at these services. "It's quite common across the neighbourhood centres that they're a front point now for people experiencing homelessness, food insecurity and domestic violence," This situation, of people going hungry, is not OK. We shouldnt need food relief programs at this scale. We need to work towards eradicating poverty and a first step is to #raisetherate of income support and other support payments. Lets recognise that people on the lowest income are in crisis. People should be able to feed themselves and their family. #foodrelief #foodsecurity #homelessness #poverty https://lnkd.in/gDRrcB9Q

Your ongoing help to feed our neighbors in need is greatly needed. In 2025, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison and every other area pantry will likely experience a significant loss in food funding. For the past four years, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin received $5-6 million per year of federal COVID-19 pandemic-relief dollars through Dane County to purchase food, which was then distributed to local food pantries, including ours, at no cost. Last year, that saved $500,000 in our food expenses. Thus far, advocacy efforts asking the Dane County Board to include funding in the next budget have not been successful. With your help, we will continue to adapt to ensure that no one asking for help is turned away: 🥕Give generously (even monthly) to a food pantry like ours; money is the greatest need and most effective way to help. 🥕Volunteer your time. 🥕Ask your elected officials at every level of government to work to end food insecurity. https://lnkd.in/g2Em6_ga

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 17-23. It highlights a growing crisis in Southwest Florida: 🔵72% of Floridians report struggling to feed their families, with many cutting back on essential items like proteins and fresh produce due to rising food costs 🟠Florida ranks third nationally in homelessness, with nearly 31,000 people unhoused in 2023. Alarmingly, senior citizens are the fastest-growing group experiencing homelessness, with housing and healthcare costs pushing many into instability This crisis is closer than you think—it affects families, children, and seniors: our neighbors. Together, we can make a difference! Let’s create a Southwest Florida where everyone has a place to call home and enough to eat. Contribute to the Southwest Florida Home Coalition and Southwest Florida Health & Wellness Coalition in their efforts to dissolve housing and food insecurity in Southwest Florida: https://bit.ly/4hOoNmS. #HungerAndHomelessnessWeek #SWFLImpact #CommunitySupport

Bedford Winter Night Shelter 2024 - home for tonight, hope for tomorrow. Homelessness in the UK has reached a critical breaking point, with rough sleeping surging by 27% in 2023 and a shocking 60% since 2021. This crisis is not just a statistic; it’s a human tragedy, and a stark reminder that our nation’s safety nets are unraveling. [Source: Shelter, 2023] On 1st December 2023, we opened our doors to the homeless in Bedford becoming a vital refuge during the harsh winter months. Over a four month period, the shelter served 2500 warm meals and offered 1250 safe bed spaces to those who would have otherwise faced the cold. On December 2nd 2024, we are opening our doors one again. We are committed to providing shelter, support, and hope to our guests for 100 days with particular focus on long term wrap-around support. This vital initiative is made possible through our partnership with Bedford Borough Council, together transforming lives and ensuring that no one in our community has to endure the winter nights, alone. With the learnings and experience of last year, we saw how providing a bed and a warm meal was not just a basic necessity, but a crucial step to transforming the lives of the homeless, displaced and isolated in Bedford. We’re determined for the Bedford Winter Night Shelter not to offer temporary solutions, but long-lasting change and with your support can turn this vision into reality. Help us create a place that is more than a shelter; help us build a community that gives hope for tomorrow. Get involved this winter at https://lnkd.in/eS3Ma86h #BedfordWinterNightShelter #WinterNightShelter #HomelessShelter #BedfordBoroughCouncil #LoveBedford #Bedford #BedfordCharity

#faithfriday Milestone alert 🚨 We have shared our 5000th loaf of bread since we started working together! The Bread Run, in partnership with London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Hovis Ltd and The Kind Counter, is a community initiative tackling food insecurity. This collaborative effort provides fresh bread to rough sleepers, homeless individuals, and members of the general public facing hardship. By redistributing surplus bread, the programme ensures that those most vulnerable receive nourishing food while reducing waste. Food insecurity remains a pressing issue in the UK, with millions of households struggling to access adequate and nutritious meals. Rising living costs and economic challenges have deepened the crisis, disproportionately affecting low income families and individuals. Initiatives like the Bread Run offer immediate relief and foster community spirit, showing that partnerships between organisations can address urgent needs effectively. This helps combat hunger and also restores dignity and hope to those navigating challenging circumstances. At Al Madina Mosque Barking! #thebreadrun #breadrun #costoflivingcrisis #homeless #thewanderinglondonerq

As featured on 9News, our incredible Community Café Manager, Trish Crosthwaite, shared her perspective on the rising demand for food relief this festive season. Trish has been part of the Wayside family for 16 years, but she’s never seen the need as overwhelming as it is today. 🍲 This year alone, Wayside’s café has served over 19,248 meals, despite facing an 80% reduction in food stock. Across Australia, 3.4 million households have experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months, with charities like ours now relying on Foodbank Australia more than ever. 🏠 Unfortunately, these challenges are part of a larger national trend. Research from the Australian Homelessness Monitor 2024 shows homelessness has risen well above pre-pandemic rates by 2023-24. More than three-quarters of homelessness services (77%) and nearly two-thirds of local government authorities (62%) report homelessness has ‘significantly increased’ since 2019-20, with many people now stuck in homelessness for longer periods due to the scarcity of secure housing. 📈 In NSW alone, rough sleeping increased by 51% between 2020-24, with homelessness pressures now extending to broader parts of the population, including people in work. This growing need continues to outpace service capacity, leaving organisations like ours to focus heavily on crisis support. ❤️ Thank you to everyone who supports Wayside Chapel during these challenging times. Your generosity enables us to provide meals and support to those who need it most. (Source: Australian Homelessness Monitor 2024) https://lnkd.in/gP5rQ_TJ #WaysideChapel #FoodRelief #HomelessnessCrisis #communitysupport

As communities we serve are receiving displaced evacuees from Jasper and other areas threatened by wildfires, we want to provide a run-down of the services accessible in each of these cities: CALGARY: 💛All of our Community Impact Centers can offer supports such as bread, food, pantry items, clothing referrals or leisure activities. 💛We have locations downtown, in the northeast, and southwest. Visit theseed.ca/contact-us to find addresses and hours. EDMONTON: 💛Our Community Impact Centre Canora offers brunch from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, a Friday dinner at 6 p.m., and emergency closet access 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. 💛Our Community Impact Centre Mosaic hosts a Community Kitchen on Wednesday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Please call 825-222-4675 to register. 💛Visit theseed.ca/contact-us for addresses and hours of operation. KAMLOOPS: 💛The Gathering Place is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Guests can grab a bottle of water, a sandwich, or use the outhouse. PLEASE NOTE: 💛We are not accepting physical donations for evacuees at this time. Any companies, individuals, or organizations that would like to offer support to those impacted by the wildfires, can email their offers to EmergencySupportOffers@gov.ab.ca. in Alberta, or to United Way in B.C. 💛In Alberta, monetary donations can be made to the Northwestern Alberta Foundation to support impacted communities via the Northwestern Alberta Emergency Recovery Fund. 💛In B.C., monetary donations can be made to the Red Cross or United Way BC. 💛 Please continue to monitor Alberta Emergency Alerts and B.C. Emergency Info for updates. We urge everyone to stay hydrated, stay safe, and practice kindness. Our prayers are with all affected communities. #Wildfires #EmergencyResponse #StaySafe #Alberta #BritishColumbia #EndHomelessness #HopeGrowsHere