We are thankful for micro grants this Thanksgiving!

Micro grants, currently funded by Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, allow Walnut neighbors to apply for up to $500 to lead a project that benefits the entire neighborhood.  Past projects have included neighborhood t-shirts, perennial plants and flowers for corner beautification, a backyard barbeque at a neighbor’s house, Christmas lights and decorations, a BINGO night, and a potted plant demonstration and workshop.

This year, for the second year in a row, Neighbor Alice Rohret wrote a micro grant application to cook and host a community Thanksgiving Dinner at the neighborhood’s Harvest Vineyard Church.  On November 22, 2022, over 150 neighbors and community members gathered to enjoy fellowship and a traditional and delicious Thanksgiving meal complete with turkey, stuffing, and a variety of pies for dessert.

There’s something about sharing a meal together that seems to accelerate the forming of social bonds that strengthens a community.  Community meals are an incredible act of hospitality, welcome, and recognition that we humans share the common need of food for our bodies but also interaction for our souls.
This Thanksgiving, we are thankful to Alice, Harvest Vineyard, and the group of volunteers who cooked, invited, and served a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner for our neighborhood and surrounding community.  We are also so thankful to Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity for their committed partnership and their offer of micro grants that spark creativity and empower neighbors to strengthen their neighborhood!