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Whittier Alliance's 2019 Highlights

As you consider supporting Whittier Alliance with a year-end donation, here is a look back at the past year of our organization's work, chock-full of colorful events, meaningful community building, and critical grassroots organizing. This is how we will put your contribution to work!

Produced the 2nd Annual Eat Street Food, Music, & Arts Festival, attracting an estimated 5k people from within & outside the neighborhood to showcase Whittier's vibrant small business and arts community through local, live music, multi-cultural dance, youth arts and sports activities, and of course, amazing food from all over the globe
Provided 1:1 assistance to immigrant and refugee-owned businesses in the neighborhood to understand the opportunities provided by the Eat Street Festival and learn the processes and considerations necessary to successfully participate and capitalize on a large outdoor event
Hosted a Community Iftar to create an opportunity for neighbors of different cultural, racial, ethic, and religious backgrounds to meet one another, learn more about Islam and Ramadan, and to share in a free community meal together
Continued to build grassroots organizing capacity within our Housing Issues Committee by launching a neighborhood-wide livability survey supported by multi-lingual outreach specialists to get a stronger understanding of housing concerns, ideas, and experiences -- and also to bring more people into the work we are doing to address them
Partnered with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and Master's Degree students at the University of Minnesota to 1.) develop tools and actionable strategies to actively counter market forces causing housing displacement in Whittier and 2.) assemble an engagement toolkit to assist neighborhood organizations and community groups to understand the new building development process in Minneapolis and learn how to create leverage to secure community benefits through negotiation
Hosted a workshop for landlords in Whittier to better understand and take advantage of the City of Minneapolis' 4d Affordable Housing Incentive Program, which aims to provide a property tax break for landlords who commit to keeping rental units at or below a level considered to fall under the umbrella of Naturally-Occurring Affordable Housing (N.O.A.H.) -- a category of buildings in which Whittier has many but is rapidly losing each year, thus exacerbating displacement
Organized community members to speak at numerous public hearings at Minneapolis City Hall to advocate for proposed renter protection ordinances and other important issues relevant to Whittier
Continued sustainability efforts such as the Earth Day Trash Clean-up and ongoing graffiti removal efforts to promote neighborhood well-being
Continued to administer a partnership with Hennepin County to help Whittier businesses & nonprofits access County funding to divert waste into recycling and organics
Conducted many volunteer-led door-knocking efforts to connect with neighbors face-to-face around issues of new development projects in the area, upcoming opportunities to meet their neighbors, and to learn about relevant legislative, transportation, and planning issues proposed in Minneapolis, including ways to be involved
Fostered intentional relationship building through arts activities at the Somali Independence Festival and 3rd Annual Great Whittier Get Together
Continued to facilitate regular meetings between organizations who serve Whittier's youth community in a variety of ways to encourage collaboration and share ideas, challenges, and opportunities
Continued financial and outreach support of the Whittier Farmers Market to create a multi-cultural cooking class to encourage participants to patronize Whittier's many ethnic grocery stores
Continued administration of a City program allowing small businesses and property owners along Whittier's commercial corridors to access matching grant funds for external improvements to their business or building facade to support reinvestment in Whittier's physical commercial infrastructure

With your help, we can continue to advocate for this neighborhood and create opportunities for our sense of community to grow and flourish. You and your contribution are essential to our work! If a tax-deductible contribution is not possible, please also consider the following in-kind donation needs:

Food and beverage donations for community events
Financial or in-kind sponsorship for the 2020 Eat Street Festival
You! Volunteer your time and talents for Whittier Alliance to power our work

Donations in every amount are welcomed and are critical to continuing and building upon the work we do for the Whittier Neighborhood every year.

Thank you for making the choice to invest in your own community!

Kaley Brown
Whittier Alliance Executive Director

Whittier Depends on You

The Whittier Alliance is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The work of our staff, Board of Directors, and teams of volunteers is part of what makes Whittier such a vibrant, diverse, and unique neighborhood in which to live, work, or eat. We operate on a very tight budget, and while we do receive funding from the City of Minneapolis, many of our activities are not covered by this funding.
Your tax deductible donation allows us to keep delivering for Whittier. Thank you!

Other Ways to Give

From Eat Street, With Love

The only official recipe book of your favorite Eat Street dishes, this gem is the result of a collaboration with Zeus Jones and many of Whittier's iconic restaurateurs, "From Eat Street, With Love" is the perfect gift for the chef, history lover, or Minneapolis foodie in your life! Each book is $20.00, and proceeds directly benefit the Whittier Alliance's community-based programming.
Contact info@whittieralliance.org to arrange a pick-up time or to pay with cash or check.

Give Back Through Amazon Smile

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the Whittier Alliance neighborhood organization whenever you shop on AmazonSmile. Click here to sign up!