Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center:

We Need YOU! Please Call Your Ohio State Representative and Tell Them to Support the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center!

Ohio's State Legislature is Meeting to Choose Which Ventures to Support in Their New Capital Budget. Can You Help Us Get Their Support for the IJMRC?

Not Currently Living in Ohio? There Are Other Ways to Help!

Our Hilltop Tigers are working hard to try to honor the legacy of former teammate Issa Jeylani. Now we need your help to support their efforts!

Click on the image above or red button below to watch a video we created featuring interviews with members of the team and scenes from the Tigers gathering to write letters to Ohio state representatives to ask for their support in acquiring capital funding to build the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center. The legislature is currently evaluating requests for capital funding, and we have submitted the IJMRC as one to consider!

As you know, MY Project USA has not been able to find any consistent year-round recreation location that could accommodate daily practices and games for the children in our Hilltop Tigers soccer program. There are approximately 10,000 children at risk of gang and gun violence in the Hilltop area, and this 2.13-acre center will provide a safe haven to hundreds of them each year. We have found the site for the center but still need to acquire the funding to make it a reality.

Here's how you can help! Click the blue button below to find and contact your Ohio state representative. If you're not from Ohio, you can still help by picking members to call. Click here for the full member directory. The Columbus area is represented by Districts 1-11.

MY Family Pantry:

What an Impact! More than 100,000 Clients Served by MY Family Pantry Last Year

Thanks to Our Partners at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, More Than 28,000 Families Were Able to Avoid Hunger Last Year

The Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA powered by MY Family Pantry is proud to announce that we served more than 100,000 clients in 2023!

We were honored to provide a great mix of nutritious food and supplies four days a week each week. As always, we must thank our wonderful partners at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. Because of the efforts of our team of staff and volunteers, we served a total of 28,029 families and 104,635 individuals.

A special thank you goes to MY Family Pantry Director Ramy El-Assal and his group of Saturday volunteers from Ohio State, including Michael Abou-Elias, Rahaf Shalash, Noora Rajjoub, Elsa Wani, Stella Aboshahba, Nawal Abdinur and Chai Annamreddi. We also could not have done it without MY Project USA team members Ezatullah Momand and Jajuan Parker.

Volunteering at MY Family Pantry is a fun and impactful experience. We always need more help, especially on weekdays (Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays). Click here or the orange button below to learn more.

If you would like to help us with our Sponsor a Meal Campaign, which works to address food insecurity, please visit MYProjectUSA.org/donors or click the button below.

MY Reading Warriors:

MY Reading Warriors End Semester with Another Fun Afternoon of Reading & Activities

MY Reading Warriors finished a semester of reading and activities two weeks ago with its last meeting at Eakin Elementary School. 

The group read "The Fantastic Bureau of Education" by Brad Montague. Afterwards, students were able to construct their very own rockets! This was another fun, interactive activity, and a great one to end the semester. Thanks again to the Be Wise Institute for their support.

All of us at MY Project USA are extremely proud of MY Reading Warriors, an initiative led by young people for young people. MY Reading Warriors features a team of college and high school students who plan weekly programs at Eakin to expose students to books, reading, learning and, most importantly, focus on providing an emotionally safe space and mentorship for these students. 

Our team consists of Safa Mohamed, Nadine Helmy, Yassmin Ben Haila, Dina Kanaan, Adam Khalifa, Zainah Shaheen and Dahlia Daboul. Thank you for all that you do! We look forward to showcasing all of their great work next semester as well!

MY Deah's Warehouse:

12 Locations in Columbus to Drop Off Donations – Truck Pick-Up Available for Large Donations

MY Project USA is searching for more locations across central Ohio where people can leave their donations of new and gently used clothes, shoes, books, toys and other small non-breakable items. We need your support!

We will collect the items from the bins weekly (or more frequently as needed) and sort them in our warehouse. Once organized, we offer the items for free to clients in the communities we serve. Some items are also sold at Global Gifts & Thrift, a retail location in Hilliard that is based on the Goodwill model. All proceeds of these sales go toward funding our programs.

Our organization will ensure that the area around the bins remains clean. Please contact Noorullah Shinwari at (614) 817-9159 with questions or if you are interested in partnering with us. Thank you!

If you are looking to drop off items to donate, our bins are at the following locations:
   • Ahlul Bayt Society – 2580 W. Dublin Granville Rd. Columbus, OH 43235
   • Bethel International United Methodist Church – 1220 Bethel Rd. Columbus, OH 43220
   • Covenant Baptist Church – 5100 Dierker Rd. Columbus, OH 43220
   • Global Gifts & Thrift – 4730 Cemetery Rd. Hilliard, OH 43206. (Business Hours Only)
   • Heritage Christian Church – 7413 Maxtown Rd. Westerville, OH 43082
   • MAS Youth Center – 4615 Northtowne Blvd. Columbus, OH 43229
   • Masjid Nimrah – 4501 Refugee Rd. Columbus, OH 43232
   • MY Deah's Warehouse – 4004 Fondorf Dr. Columbus, OH 43228. (Business Hours Only)
   • Noor Islamic Cultural Center – 5001 Wilcox Rd. Dublin, OH 43016
   • Omar Ibn El-Khattab Masjid – 580 Riverview Dr. Columbus, OH 43202
   • The Destiny Center – 1561 Old Leonard Ave. Columbus, OH 43219
   • The First Congregational Church – 444 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215
   • Turkish American Society of Ohio (TASO) – 2885 W. Dublin Granville Rd. Columbus, OH 43235

Family Platinum Card:

Register for Our Family Platinum Card Today!

MY Project USA is still actively registering low-income clients for our new Family Platinum Card. This brand-new initiative is FREE and has several benefits.

Benefits Include:
   • 20% off discount at MY Community Cafe and Global Gifts & Thrift
   • Monthly prize raffles
   • Holiday gifts
   • “Fast Pass” (a way to speed up the sign-in process) for MY Project USA events    
   • Special “Members Only” events
   • And MORE to be announced!

Please come to the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center (3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204) to sign up.

MY Helpline:

Rent & Utilities Support Available at MY Project USA

We have been working very hard in securing grants and building collaboration with other partners to help our clients. Thanks to The Columbus Foundation, United Way of Central Ohio, and IMPACT Community Action, we are still able to help more of our families with their rent and utilities. If you or someone you know needs help, please ask them to contact us at (614) 905-0977 or help@myprojectusa.org.