REAL MINNEAPOLIS

Description

TRM began as a grassroots movement in 2020 by three BIPOC women in the immediate aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in their own backyard. What started as a few neighbors providing operational support and essential supplies grew to include a network of hundreds of volunteers in just a few days. Shortly thereafter, TRM expanded its work beyond short-term crisis response to include mental health engagement, then pioneered a free youth distance learning center during the height of the pandemic.

Today, TRM operates out of the Tiny Diner on 38th Street in South Minneapolis preparing and delivering 500 hot health meals and supplies to the unhoused through an initiative lovingly and appropriately named "Tiny Diner. Big Dreams." We start with food because it’s hard to be healthy when you’re hungry. It’s hard to seek help. It’s hard to find and keep a job. Without food, there is very little chance of finding and maintaining stable housing.

While we start with food and basic needs, we don’t stop there. This program also provides both youth and adults at risk of or transitioning from addiction, incarceration, or homelessness with skills training, meaningful employment, connections to vital services and a network of care and support. But moreover, it provides a feeling of purposefulness and meaning, hope for the future.