MY Project USA:

Giving Back: Farhina Mustafa Continues to Make Large Impact to Help MY Project USA's Mission

Her Dedication to Our Mission has Helped Organization Receive Several Grants from The Wendy's Corporation – Including One on Giving Tuesday!

Farhina Has Been One of Our More Loyal Volunteers & We Thank Her!

For as long as there has been MY Project USA, there has been Farhina Mustafa doing what she could to help protect and empower youth and families in Columbus.

When MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid created the organization in her kitchen in 2015, she had a small team of volunteers aiding her efforts. Among them was Farhina, who worked with others to gather donations of school supplies, coats, furniture and anything else needed by those in need in those early days. She was also among those who cooked, packed and distributed hundreds of meals for families in need during Ramadan through MY Iftar Kitchen.

Farhina, a native of India, was moved to help when she learned that people in Columbus were at risk of poverty, human trafficking and violence.

“I had no idea there were people struggling here, too,” Farhina said. “I knew I needed to help, and Zerqa was doing great work.”

Farhina’s charitable heart has continued to beat strong in the years that have followed those early days. She is employed by The Wendy’s Corporation, and Farhina has nominated our organization to receive grants through Wendy’s Community Giving Program several times. On Giving Tuesday, Wendy’s announced that MY Project USA was one of 23 organizations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to receive a charitable donation.

Each organization was chosen because they align with Wendy’s core categories of charitable support: foster care adoption, hunger and food integrity, youth and families, and vibrant communities.

“I always nominate MY Project USA when employees are open to nominate organizations for grants,” Farhina said. “Fortunately, MY Project USA has received a grant several times.”

Thank you to The Wendy’s Corporation, and of course, a big thank you goes out to Farhina! MY Project USA is proud to have you as a member of our village. If you would like to help support our mission, please donate today at MYProjectUSA.org/donors or via the button below.

After-School Programs:

Local Matters Helps Turn Picky Eaters into Fans of Fresh, Healthy Foods at Eakin Elementary

Our Eakin RISE After-School Program received a special visit from our friends at Local Matters on Monday, who led our students through a fun and educational cooking activity!

While several of the children were initially apprehensive at some of the ingredients, which included avocado, tomato, onion and cilantro, everyone was more than happy with the result – delicious tacos! Even the pickiest eaters in the group found a new love of these healthy foods. We thank our friends from Local Matters who led the fun and taught the students the “My Plate” curriculum!

MY Project USA would also like to thank our Eakin RISE team: Stephanie Bassham, Kayla Hancock, Aleah Goesset, Shaday Martinez and MY Project USA Education Manager Jenna Herron. Without our wonderful team of staff and volunteers, we would not be able to serve the dozens of children we do at our after-school sites. Currently, our organization features after-school programming at Eakin Elementary School, Binns Elementary School, Starling PK-8 School, West High School and at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center.

If you would like to help MY Project USA continue this much needed programming, please donate at MYProjectUSA.org/donors or by clicking the button below. Thank you to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, United Way of Central Ohio and the Ingram-White Castle Foundation for their support of our after-school programs.

After-School Programs:

More Than 150 Children Get Homework Help, Much More Thanks to MY Project USA's After-School Programming

MY Project USA is proud to offer after-school programs at several Columbus locations. We currently serve 158 across five different locations. Please take a look at the photo album via the button below with some recent photos from several of our sites. You can take a look at some of the activities, including homework help, memory games, art activities and more! 

We’d like to thank MY Project USA Education Manager Jenna Herron and all of our team of staff and volunteers who make everything possible:

• Eakin RISE: Stephanie Bassham, Kayla Hancock, Aleah Goesset and Shaday Martinez
• Binns RECHARGE: Robin Wilson, Haleigh Wright, Emily Meece, Sahra Ali and Sahara Sheikh
• Starling REACH: Ms. Hayes, Nate Crosby, Jalat Shinwari, Kelli Jacobs, Faduma Adbulle and Stephanie McGivern
• West ROUND-UP: Felix Mijangos, Treniece Rondo, Irshad Shinwari and Megan Stamper
• Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center: Megan Stamper, Cindra Gunter and Craig Stamper

Thank you to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, United Way of Central Ohio and the Ingram-White Castle Foundation for their support of our after-school programs. If you would like to help MY Project USA continue this much needed programming, please donate at MYProjectUSA.org/donors or click the button below.

MY Family Pantry:

Our Wonderful Team of Staff & Volunteers Serve More Than 2,000 Clients Last Week at MY Family Pantry

Thank You to Our Valued Partners at the Mid-Ohio Food-Collective for Their Support!

From Tuesday, Nov. 28-Saturday, Dec. 2, the commitment of the Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA powered by MY Family Pantry to combat food insecurity continued as we proudly served 2,111 clients and 606 families in need.

The bustling activity at our pantry, which is located at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center, remains a testament to the dedicated efforts of our team of staff and volunteers. We also thank our valued partners at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective for providing a diverse menu of healthy and fresh food to our clients. 

Leading the charge, as always, was MY Family Pantry Director Ramy El-Assal. A special acknowledgment goes out to our volunteer team from Ohio State, including Michael Abou-Elias, Rahaf Shalash, Noora Rajjoub, Elsa Wani, Stella Aboshahba, Nawal Abdinur and Chai Annamreddi. We also must recognize the dedication of pantry team members Ezatullah Momand and Jajuan Parker, as well as office manager Nasir Shinwari.

For those inspired to join our mission to combat food insecurity in Columbus, we invite you to visit https://mofb.volunteerhub.com/vv2/lp/MOMUSA/ and/or MYProjectUSA.org/donors to support our Sponsor a Meal campaign. You can also click on the buttons below.

MY Deah's Warehouse:

12 Locations In Columbus To Drop Off Donations – Truck Pick-Up Available For Large Donations

You can now drop off your donations of new and gently used clothes, shoes, books, toys and other small non-breakable items in a donation box near you. These locations include: 

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

We are looking for more locations. If interested in helping us or have any other questions, please contact us at warehouse@myprojectusa.org.

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 helpadmin@myprojectusa.org.