Register for Community Resources Workshop!
If you didn't sign up last week, I encourage you to join this upcoming workshop!
Would you like to learn more about the resources available in your community? Would you like to hear how churches and organizations can collaborate to help address the needs of our neighbors? Would you like to learn about programs available to help with needs like job training, employment, child care, senior care, crisis help?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, Metro's Connecting Others with Community Resources workshop may be for you!
- Date: Thursday, May 27
- Time: 2;00 - 3:30 p.m.
- Registration: HERE
This FREE virtual workshop is intended for church leaders, staff and members throughout the Central District who want to learn more about tapping into community resources, for the benefit of folks in their communities. County-specific resources will be shared during and after the workshop.
Panelists will include:
- Alicia Baker, Community Engagement Manager with Aunt Bertha
- Allen Southerland, Pipeline & Partnerships, Shepherd Community Center
- Joni Hurst, Coordinator, Volunteer & Food Services, Mary Rigg Community Center
- Rosie Butler, Program Director, Irvington Community Advocacy Network (ICAN)
Zoom information will be sent after registration, along with email reminders the week of the event.
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Is Data a Resource?
Did you know that data is important to identifying needs in your community? Stories, images and videos of children and families struggling grab our attention and inspire us to work toward change. Meaningful data can be just as compelling to guide us toward what work we should be doing. Reliable data not only helps identify needs but can help direct churches and organizations toward meeting those needs.
I want to share a data resource that you may not be aware of, it's called SAVI. SAVI is a program of the Polis Center at IUPUI. SAVI's vision is that all organizations will have access to and use data to improve planning and decision-making and ultimately improve the quality of life in the communities they serve. I invite you to explore SAVI's website.
The SAVI team has developed a rich and robust data analysis system that pulls data from a number of sources and uses multiple data elements layered together to paint a picture of the needs and assets in a given geography, within the 11 counties that make up the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. Their SAVI tool also allows individuals to "dig in" to the data themselves, and there are training webinars and other training resources on their website to help in using the tool.
Metro Ministries has been invited to help them make improvements in their tool by considering how churches and church ministries might want to use SAVI and how information on church ministries and church membership could be incorporated to provide guidance to church leaders on outreach efforts, ministry priorities and more.
If you are like me and are interested in data, I invite you to take a few minutes to complete this Survey the SAVI team has created to help guide their strategic plan over the coming years. The survey takes about 15 mintues to complete. Stay tuned for updates on how Metro will be working with SAVI.
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UPDATES ON FOOD RESOURCES!
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If you regularly follow Metro's newsletter, you know that we have been sharing a link to Indy Hunger Network's website since early on in the pandemic last year, with information about food resources throughout the Central District. Indy Hunger Network recently took this web page down, as the information had gotten too out of date. At this time, I am not aware of a plan to replace it.
I do have a couple of other resources to share. The first is Community Compass. This tool was created by Indy Hunger Network and has two key ways to connect individuals with food resources near them. The first is an app for smart phones that automically provides food resources based on where the individual is. The second is the ability to text for food resources if an individual does not have a smart phone. Check out details of Community Compass. This is a very valuable tool but does not currently include all food pantries beyond Marion County.
The other resource I will share is a listing of pantries that Metro has been working on for several months, with much work done by the two UIndy interns this past academic year. This document contains food pantries that Metro has attempted to confirm days and hours of service. While this is likley not 100% accurate, this shoudl be a valuable resource for food pantries in the Central District. The listing is sorted by zip code.
Please let us know if you have food resources to add or update. We will make updates to this list on a quarterly basis.
The food pantry listing and the Community Compass link are both posted in Metro's Resources Hub as well.
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If you know of other resources we should share, please let us know by emailing Tina McAninch at metrodirector1923@gmail.com.
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