Youth Advocacy:

MY Project USA's Young People Speak to City Council About Impact Our Organization Has Had on Their Lives

Sharmarke, Mukumbira and Abdi Asked the Council to Continue Their Support of Our Organization's Efforts, Including the Issa Jeylani Memorial Recreation Center

MY Project USA was very proud of a trio of our young people who stepped up to advocate for our organization at a City Council hearing Wednesday evening on the Safety and Judiciary Budget.

MY Project USA team members Sharmarke Abdi, Mukumbira Mukumbira and Abdi Bakari all spoke about their experiences with our organization and asked the host councilmembers, Emmanuel Remy and Shayla Favor, continue the council’s support for MY Project USA and the Hilltop Tigers youth soccer program. The council has a great history of supporting our mission of protecting and empowering young people, and Sharmarke, Mukumbira and Abdi are three products of that investment.

“Where I come from, there is a lot of gun violence, and it’s easy to get caught up doing the wrong things,” Sharmarke told the council. “I want to live to see another day, and my chances of that are greater because of the efforts of MY Project USA and all it offers.”

Added Mukumbira: “If it were not for MY Project USA’s programs, from trauma support to academic, recreation, and other opportunities, I couldn’t be where I am today. The Hilltop Tigers and MY Project USA have made a direct impact on my life. It is critical that I live to see another day, and MY Project USA and the Hilltop Tigers make that possible for me and so many other kids in my community because of the support they give and how it offers a safe haven for so many of us.”

MY Project USA’s Zerqa Abid and Bashir Ahmed also spoke during Wednesday’s hearing, which was held at City Hall. We thank everyone for their efforts, as well as thanking Councilmembers Remy and Favor for allowing us the opportunity to speak.

MY Project USA News:

MY Project USA Team Members Find Inspiration at 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast

Members of the MY Project USA team were proud to attend the 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Monday morning. Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid was joined by Education Consultant Dr. Sharon Watkins and team members Bashir Ahmed, Noorullah Khan Shinwari, Jenna Herron, Felix Mijangos and Matthew Hager.

It was an inspirational morning, highlighted by several impressive speeches. Perhaps none was more impactful than the keynote address by Donzaleigh Abernathy. She is not only an activist, actress and writer, but she is the goddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the daughter of civil rights activist Ralph Abernathy, and was a first-hand witness to many of the Civil Rights Movement's historic moments. 

Congratulations to the Martin Luther King Breakfast Committee for another successful event! We look forward to being there for the 40th annual event in 2025.

MY Project USA News:

Police Chief Bryant Tours MY Project USA Facility, Poses for Official Picture as Most Committed Resilience Ally Award Winner

We had a very special guest at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center on Tuesday! Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant toured our facility and posed for her official picture with her Most Committed Resilience Ally Award from our 2023 Annual Banquet. Chief Bryant was unable to attend the banquet in November, with Commander Erik Babcock accepting the plaque on her behalf. Also pictured are commendations from Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano and from the Ohio House of Representatives about her award. They were presented to Chief Bryant by MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid and team member Bashir Ahmed.

Congrats to Chief Bryant! Thank you for all that you do!

Community Development:

ESL Classes Kick Off at Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center to Benefit Hispanic Community

Those Interested in Joining Should Call/Text Felix Mijangos at (614) 401-6115

MY Project USA is proud to present a series of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, which began Wednesday evening.

We were elated at the turnout for the first class! A total of nine people were on hand to learn under the instruction of teacher Cassie Costello. Classes will be held each Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center (3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204). Classes will be held weekly, with the last class being Wednesday, March 20. The final exam will be held one week later on Wednesday, March 27.

The cost is $15 for materials. For more information, call or text Felix Mijangos at (614) 401-6115 or reach via email at outreach@myprojectusa.org.

Family Platinum Card:

Congratulations to Our Newest Family Platinum Card Prize Drawing Winner!

Our latest winner of our monthly Family Platinum Card prize drawing was drawn at the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center on Friday afternoon. Click on the image above to watch a brief video to see the drawing and find out who won. Thank you to the MY Project USA team members and Hilltop Tigers who drew the winner!

The Family Platinum Card is a new initiative of MY Project USA, and we invite all of our low-income clients to register. Best part? It's FREE!

Benefits include:
  • 20% off discount at MY Community Cafe and Global Gifts & Thrift
  • Monthly prize drawings (like above!)
  • Holiday gifts
  • A "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

If you are interested in signing up, please visit the Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center (3275 Sullivant Ave. Columbus, OH 43204).

MY Family Pantry:

More Than 500 Clients Visit Pantry Each Day During Busy Week for MY Family Pantry

It was an extremely busy week last week at the Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA powered by MY Family Pantry. An average of 606 individuals per day visited our pantry, with 836 alone visiting on Saturday.

From Tuesday, Jan. 9-Saturday, Jan. 13, a total of 2,424 individuals were served groceries and basic supplies from our pantry. As always, we must thank our wonderful partners at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective for their support in making this much-needed work happen. Our pantry is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and each day saw at least 500 individuals visit. We also had 109 families visit us for the first time.

Thank you 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, Chai Annamreddi, Rishi Kabir and Muhrez Choudhry. We also could not have accomplished this work 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). Please click the red button below to sign up to volunteer. If you would like to further support our efforts to battle food insecurity here in Columbus, please consider supporting our "Sponsor a Meal" campaign by click on the black button below.

Community Development:

Supporting Our Sisters: MY Project USA, Covenant Baptist Church Join Forces for Female-Only Classes Starting in February

Call (614) 306-0366 or Email dir.outreach@myprojectusa.org with Questions

MY Project USA is proud to announce a pair of new classes to help women in the new American/refugee community here in Columbus. With the Covenant Baptist Church as our partner, we are proudly offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Cultural Orientation classes starting in February.

All classes will be held at Covenant Baptist Church (5100 Dierker Rd. Columbus, OH 43220). The ESL classes will be held every Tuesday from 5:30-7 p.m. beginning on Feb. 13. The Cultural Orientation classes, which will help attendees learn more about American culture, will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and will be held every Wednesday from 5:30-7 p.m.

There will be free childcare offered during the Wednesday Cultural Orientation classes ONLY. 

Thank you to our partners at the Covenant Baptist Church for providing a location for these much-needed classes! 

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

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.