Throughout April, we focused mostly on our partnership with Recycle Ann Arbor and our God & Grub meal and worship service in order to better prepare for launching our spring and summer services! This week we started our partnership with Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels providing locally sourced speciality meals for their clients with dietary restrictions. This partnership is allowing us to hire five new kitchen staff from our community! Above are some photos of the unique, healthy meals our kitchen created this week. Pictured with Pastor Anna is the YMOW Executive Director Alison Foreman! The meals were such a hit! We are so excited to continue this partnership!

Hello Spring! It’s about time we take our Food Truck back out to serve FREE delicious meals in the community! We are now serving on Wednesdays at Liberty Plaza in downtown Ann Arbor from 12pm-1pm, and at the Bus Depot in Ypsilanti from 1:30pm-2:30pm. We are hoping to expand to a Thursday morning free meal and our Shower and Laundry trucks within the next couple of weeks, so look forward to another newsletter. Don’t forget to keep up to date with our current programming on our website and social media! 

We are so excited to welcome the newest member of the FedUp team, our Shower and Laundry Program Coordinator Jelani! Jelani (pronounced Je - lon - knee) is a Detroit native and has lived in Ann Arbor since 2017. He enjoys playing guitar, drawing, reading, writing and loving his cat Luna. He has an incredible commitment to service for all people of all types. He believes that his experience in navigating a diverse range of social dynamics will help increase the welcoming support of FedUp. 

This month we said goodbye to Dara who graduated with their Master's in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Even though this means the end of their internship with FedUp Ministries, we are so excited to see what they do next! Dara was one of the first interns who helped us launch this incredible partnership with UM’s School of Social Work, and we are extremely grateful for everything they have contributed to our growth during their time with us! They have been an integral part of our community, asking the tough questions, creating meaningful collaborations, and challenging us to grow! They provided our team with unique professional development opportunities, introduced our DEI policies and procedures, and hosted strategic planning and dreaming sessions. They will be missed dearly! 

As we launch our new partnership with Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels and new weekly services we have opened some new regular volunteer opportunities and we really need your help! Check out the new and improved volunteer schedule below. If you are interested in joining us for any of these shifts and dates, please sign up using the link and you will be added to our volunteer schedule! If you have any questions or concerns, please email kim@fedupministries.org. 

We are so excited about the newest addition to our website, our impact page. This summer our interns will be working on evaluating our programs, collecting stories and testimonies from our community members, which we will continue to share with you all! If you feel led to help us continue to this incredible impact please donate using the link below! We are so grateful for all of your continued support!