Results: Clean Socks Hope, is a faith-based 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported nonprofit that helps under-served communities with programming that includes a low income food cooperative called the Midtown Neighborhood Network. Without viable transportation, many families face a 1 to 2 hour round trip trying to find healthy food options. This phenomenon is referred to as a food desert. Meaning, the Midtown community of New Albany, Indiana has no local grocery or department store and its lack of transportation issues causes our neighbors to walk or ride their bike past acres of alcohol, lottery tickets and processed food options. This is an open invitation to crime, drugs and sex trafficking.
We partner with the under-served neighborhoods beginning with its residents, then its churches, nonprofits and businesses and finally local government to provide innovative and holistic development that produces flourishing communities where God's peace is present. We refer to this as Spiritual Gentrification. Our goal is to designate a 10-year master plan and when that community is up and thriving, move to the adjacent or to the next neighborhood in need and replicate the process. We’ve been offering our Christmas Store and Food Cooperative to the Midtown community for over 3 years with one caveat. The families must have skin in the game equal to the benefits they receive.
Target demographics: Our passion, purpose and focus as a group has evolved and since 2010 has focused on impoverished children (the average age for the homeless in America is 9 years old) and their parents (almost always a single mother with an average of 2 children to care for). We work in partnership with Northside Christian Church on Oak St. and Hope Southern Indiana (formerly Interfaith Community Council) and area "like thinking" missions and organizations, churches and grass root organizations.
Direct beneficiaries per year: 720
Geographic areas served: Louisville (KY) Metro, (New Albany) Southern Indiana
Programs: OUR JOURNEY STARTS HERE:
The Christmas Store—Hope for Parents Program positions potential candidates to the store itself and to the Midtown Neighborhood Network.
The Christmas Store: December 2012—58 Families Impacted—213 of that number (143) are children. 94% of parents were women. Hope Bucks Spent—$3,366.24 (269 Work Hours) each family worked an approximate 7.5 hours toward Christmas benefits. Total Retail Inventory Value—$19,526.97 Hard Work = Hope.
And Then – Midtown Neighborhood Network: To date, nine families that total 26 family members in partnership with Dare to Care and Hope Southern Indiana offers between $75 to $125 of groceries every other week offering dignity and hope! 66% of the participating families came from the Christmas Store the others from Midtown Commons! 100% of the relationships came from Midtown Commons!
My family and I have been blessed by Clean Socks Hope. And everyone is so helpful to my boys and I! Serve Day in the park was AWESOME! And everyone welcomed us with open arms! Keep up the great work!
So, what is Midtown Neighborhood Network? A Food Cooperative? Yes! A Community Ministry? Yes. A church? Yes. A social justice ministry? Yes. A community development organization? Yes. Please join us as we continue to act creatively in response to the injustices of the world and participate in transformation.
It’s our experience and common for upper and middle-class people to compartmentalize certain activities: like going to church, then volunteering at a soup kitchen for homeless people, then donating to their local food bank. Likewise, it is common for people to compartmentalize the various social issues—homelessness, hunger, crime, social marginalization—that these charities address. While charity organizations—like traditional food banks, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters—are helpful, they sometimes fail to address or acknowledge both the systemic problems that cause these injustices and the interrelated nature of such injustices. Addressing these realities might enable us to creatively transform them.
My husband and I have been so blessed by the volunteers that honestly have become family to us. Their love, support and just a shoulder to lay on has been a true blessing. Thank you all for your love and support!
