It’s spring, which means a time of new beginnings! A time to freshen up around the house and yard. And here at Common Heart, it’s time to Kickstart Kindness into high gear! Get all the details and donate online at: Kickstart.CommonHeart.org

A group of generous friends have come together to offer a $50,000 matching grant fund to kickstart four important initiatives this year! These friends will increase your impact by matching dollar for dollar each one-time investment over the next 4 weeks in the initiatives listed below. PLUS if you become a monthly donor, they will TRIPLE your impact adding two dollars for every dollar you pledge in the first month! 

This Kickstart Kindness challenge ends May 9. Now is the time to give and see your generosity and kindness multiplied!

For our neighbors challenged by food insecurity and poverty, it has been a very tough half decade. COVID, inflation, cuts in the security net, lack of living wage jobs, high costs of housing, and general challenges of an economy that seem to kill every hope of a new future story.

Sign up to become a monthly donor and your first month will be DOUBLE matched during Kickstart Kindness! Hurry — this match ends May 9! 

Recurring donors build the foundation to keep this small revolution of kindness going — and growing! They sustain our programs and allow us to have guaranteed income that we can count on each month.

Can you help us get the whole $50,000 match? 

You and I have the power to truly make a difference by getting engaged. We can express our love of neighbor in very practical ways and help our neighbors not only get by but get ahead this year. Get all the details and donate online at: Kickstart.CommonHeart.org

~Keith Adams, Executive Director 

This year’s Kickstart Kindness projects:

KICKSTART PROJECT: Morning Pantries

COST: $13,000

Food insecurity in Union County has risen to 10.5%. Thanks to last year’s Kickstart project, there are pantries each weeknight. However, this has not kept up with the rise in hunger in our community. This project will increase the number of Morning Pantries by 50%, bringing the total number to 18 a year. This will provide an opportunity to serve more neighbors, and share the kindness and friendship that is at the core of Common Heart. At one of our recent morning pantries at Central UMC in Monroe, Hector, 16, met a neighbor who walked to the church to get food. She lived so close he was able to push a cart load of groceries right to her door.

KICKSTART PROJECT: Success Coaching

COST: $15,000

One of our GA grads is going through some hard times with isolation and grief from the unexpected death of his wife. Through coaching, he identified what he needed in his life and he & his coach both got to work making small milestones to build his social capital. He attends the Senior Center twice a week and is gaining confidence to build connections. When he is having a bad time at work or in life, he has his community to help keep his spirits high and not be alone.  Coaching provides support, focus, motivation, and empowers our GA grads to accomplish their goals and create their future stories. Seeking to create a more comprehensive program, this project moves us from contracted coaches to a staff coach, creating greater flexibility, increased sessions, and doubling the number of individuals that can receive coaching.

KICKSTART PROJECT: Dietary Program

COST: $12,000

One of our neighbors recently began undergoing cancer treatments, and was struggling to buy the heart-healthy food that her doctor recommended. We were able to get her some of those foods ASAP, as well as find a volunteer to deliver to her monthly through our Cupboard Ally Delivery Program. We are the only pantry that we know of in the region providing food for medically necessary diets. This project will double the number of neighbors receiving special dietary foods through our Common Cupboard pantry and will enable us to forge new partnerships in the medical sector and our community. 

KICKSTART PROJECT: Grow ESIP

COST: $10,000

Our Emergency Savings Incentive Plan is provided after the Getting Ahead experience to encourage continued growth in skills, education, engagement, and resources, producing economic stability and growth. Those who complete ESIP receive a $500 emergency savings account. We are expecting a record 20 participants to earn their $500 savings account by the end of the year! ESIP participant Brenda recently completed the Money & Me workshop as she works toward earning her $500 check. She said, “I knew money was something you had to have but I never really looked far ahead. That was a big wake up for me during the workshop…I’ve started being more careful with my spending…and now am putting more into savings.”