Humanity House
This week the first and second phases of the Humanity House building project will be finishing up. Our office, food pantry, and laundry facilities should all be up and running at 110 East St., by the first week in April.
The kitchen will be taking longer, as we are required by city code to have a hood vent and fire suppression system for our residential stove. Though we fall under humanitarian guidelines for the State of Kansas, we are required by our city officials to have this system. Because we charge no money for food and make no money, we are not a commercial enterprise; however, we also do not live there, and so we are not residential and do not cook only for ourselves. Feeding those who are hungry and teaching children and adults how to cook healthy food comes with a $12,000 price tag for Humanity House.
Like every other thing in life, challenges are put before us. We either rise to the challenge, change course, or give up. Anyone that knows me, knows the path that I take first. After exhausting all possibilities, I will take the second course. I have never taken the third option. Ever.
We will be closing our doors for the week of March 26-March 30 to install the food pantry, put new floors in the kitchen and laundry areas, install washers and dryers, and put our efforts into all of the tasks that are required to finish a project of this size.
We are excited to have American Sign Language classes ready to go — one class for children and one for adults. Father Does the Do is on our class schedule, and we are looking forward to dad and daughters spending time together while pops learns to braid. We have a Gardening for Children class that will be held weekly at the Little Humanity Garden on the square. This class is the first part of getting children and their parents to grow healthy food together. The second part will be to harvest the food and teach the children how to prepare a meal with the food that they have grown.
We are working on a #MeToo support group which we hope will also be starting in April.
One of the most important things that we have coming up is a Bridges Out of Poverty class. If you have ever looked at someone in poverty and wondered why they just didn’t get a job or wondered why they had to be so lazy, dirty and uneducated, or if you saw someone in a grocery store using a Vision card and caught yourself scrutinizing and judging their grocery cart, this class is for you. Make yourself happy and understand poverty and the impact that it has on the lives of those who live it.
Come by our building, pick up a schedule of classes, check out what all is going on, and if you are so inclined, offer to teach a class or lead a group activity.
We have accomplished a lot in the last two years and are looking forward to doing our best to help bring the people in Allen County together. We are a chain, and our links are connecting. We are getting stronger every day.
We hope to see your smiling faces. Kindness matters!
