At a time when individuals and households throughout Minnesota are experiencing hardships in numbers never seen before, the Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless Foundation is working hard to ensure their funding reaches those in need in every corner of the state.

In their most recent Spring funding cycle, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless has granted Rivers of Hope with $5,000 of funding to support their Direct Client Assistance program, which provides critical resources to domestic violence victims and survivors such as gift cards for basic needs like food and gas, safe phones and locks, temporary hotel stays, transportation, and other essential expenses that empower individuals to find safety and stability..

Rivers of Hope was founded in 1989 by a group in Elk River who recognized the need to address domestic violence in their community. It was primarily made up of educators who saw the impact violence in the homes was having on students. Rivers of Hope initially focused on providing general and legal advocacy, education, and referral services to adult victims in Sherburne County but quickly expanded its reach. In 1990, services extended to Wright County and in 1991, Rivers of Hope launched a youth program to address the needs of young people affected by domestic violence. Today, Rivers of Hope operates from a centrally located office in Monticello and continues to maintain a strong, anti-violence presence in Sherburne and Wright Counties. 

Rivers of Hope’s mission statement is to provide a community-coordinated response to end family violence through advocacy, education, and interagency collaboration. This mission drives all aspects of their work as they strive to end domestic violence and support victims and survivors on their journey to achieving safety stability, and empowerment. 

Open Your Heart awards funds every three months and provides emergency support within days during a crisis. They support programs in communities where many traditional funders do not reach – food shelves, domestic violence shelters, and homeless programs in small communities and sparsely served remote corners of the state. Through this direct support, Open Your Heart helps these organizations provide safe and dignified environments for people experiencing food and housing insecurity across Minnesota.

For more information about Open Your Heart, grantees or the grant application process visit www.oyh.org. To learn more about Rivers of Hope visit www.riversofhope.org.