Youth Development:

MY Project USA Youth Leaders Simply Transformed During The Summer 

Columbus Youth United Summit Showcased Their Success & Leadership

Preparation of a State Lobby Day Is On!

This Is How We Empower Our Youth!

Earlier this summer, they wouldn't talk, wouldn't participate in any activity. Last Saturday, they organized a youth summit to kick off their youth movement against gun & gang violence and for climate justice. Their body language and composures have changed, and they are different people now. 

MY Project USA is extremely proud of our young leaders for organizing the first-annual Columbus Youth United Summit last weekend at West High School. It was a wonderful event, and we wanted to show off some of the sights and sounds from the event in this video.

This summit and the upcoming State Lobby Day is part of the youth movement that Zerqa Abid, our visionary leader, founder and executive director has been building by training and mentoring Columbus youth to advocate for themselves. Thank you to Ohio House Reps. Munira Abdullahi and Ismail Mohamed for joining hands with Ms. Abid. Both of them not only spoke and but also mentored many youths at the event. 

MY Project USA would also like to thank other partners. Thank you to Ben Prochaska of Students Demand Action's Ohio State chapter, Shela Blanchard & Adrienne Hood from Moms Demand Action, author Derrick Russell and MY Project USA team members Bashir Ahmed, Grace Johnson and Nathan Reitz for their participation in giving speeches and/or participating in panels and breakout sessions.

Thank you to the MY Project USA outreach team Taq Aziz, Melissa Coleman & Isha Hussein for their efforts during the summit. We also want to recognize the efforts of MY Project USA Director of Community Development Sami Omerzai, Office Manager Nasir Shinwari and team members Izzatullah Momand, Fazal Rabi Rahmanyar and Salihkhan Paktiawal.

A very special thanks goes to MY Project USA Youth Program Director Katana Mullen, Assistant Youth Program Director Muna Cheik and – of course – all of our young leaders who led the way during this special event focusing on the life-and-death challenges of gun/gang violence and climate justice.

Last, and certainly not least, thank you to the Ohio Climate Justice Fund, ADAMH Board of Franklin County and the City of Columbus for their support through grants and to La Pizza Italian Kitchen and our friends at the Turkish American Society of Ohio (TASO) for the delicious pizza enjoyed during the summit. 

Community Development:

Volunteers Needed for This Weekend's Hilltop Youth Rise & Back to School Festival

MY Project USA is Proud to Present Festival at Wedgewood Village Apartments

The weather will be picture-perfect this Saturday for the Hilltop Youth Rise & Back to School Festival, presented by MY Project USA! It will be held at the Wedgewood Village Apartments in the field near the laundry building (3690 Eakin Rd. Columbus, OH 43228) from 4-8 p.m.

There will be plenty of fun for the entire family, including free food, free haircuts, free school bags and school supplies (while supplies last), music and more! We are currently looking for volunteers for the event. Please sign up here or click the button below.

We are also asking for the public's help in gathering school supplies to hand out for this festival and beyond. Please consider donating at MYProjectUSA.org/donors.

MY Project USA thanks the city of Columbus, Ohio Department of Education, ADAMH Board of Franklin County and the Women's Fund of Central Ohio for their support!

MY Summer Expedition:

MY Summer Expedition Creates Memories, Lasting Friendships for Its Campers at Hilltop Youth Empowerment Center

Series of 8 Weekly Camps Concludes Tomorrow with End of Music & Dance Camp

Check Out All of the Fun from the Camps in This Recap Video

This is the final week of our MY Summer Expedition series of weekly camps. Take a look back at all of the fun in this recap video. Click the image above or the button below.

MY Project USA would like to thank its wonderful team, who all worked very hard to make these camps special for our kids. A special thanks to MY Project USA Education Manager Jenna Herron. Jenna spearheaded this program and did a wonderful job under the guidance of Education Consultant Dr. Sharon Watkins.

Thank you to all of those who helped us serve dozens of youths every day during these camps.

As always, thank you to the Ohio Department of Education, ADAMH Board of Franklin County and the City of Columbus for their support of our MY Summer Expedition camps.

MY Family Pantry:

Nearly 500 Families Served By MY Family Pantry Last Week

More Than 1,800 Clients Receive Nutritious Food and Household Necessities

From Tuesday, July 25-Saturday, July 29, nearly 500 families were served at the Mid-Ohio Market at MY Project USA powered by MY Family Pantry.

A total of 1,884 clients visited the pantry last week, including 489 families. Among those, 75 of those families visited us for the first time. Each client received nutritious food and household necessities. The menu this week included fresh and frozen fruit, delicious cereals, bread and much more.

As always, thank you to our partners at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, who collaborate with MY Project USA for our pantry work.

Powered by MY Family Pantry volunteers and staff, we distribute fresh produce and groceries to hundreds of individuals in our community weekly.

MY Project USA Board of Directors:

Grace Johnson Officially Joins MY Project USA's Board of Directors

Johnson will be mainly focusing on youth development programs as a board member!

MY Project USA would like to congratulate Grace Johnson, the newest member of our Board of Directors.

Grace recently retired from Ohio State in December after serving as the Director of Education Abroad and more recently as the university’s Chief of Staff in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.

She has previous experience serving on a board, doing so for the Museo Na-Bolom, a cultural heritage museum in Chiapas, Mexico. Grace also boasts volunteer experience as a tutor and coach for Columbus City Schools, as well as volunteer experience with food cooperatives and refugee resettlement services.

We are very appreciative of Grace’s previous work with our organization, and we look forward to all of the positive work she will do as a member of our board.

MY Project USA:

Crane Charitable Funds Bestows Generous Donation to MY Project USA

 We would like to thank Crane Charitable Funds for a generous $5,000 donation that was delivered to MY Project USA Youth Program Director Katana Mullen by Crane’s Veronica Lucas on Monday, July 17.

Katana and Veronica are friends who got to know each other before Katana joined MY Project USA, and their friendship led to this generous donation. Katana previously worked for KinderCare Education, and Veronica’s daughter was one of many children that Katana worked with. When Katana joined MY Project USA, Veronica inquired about our organization and learned more about us and our mission. Veronica then graciously encouraged Crane Charitable Funds to make a donation.

The Crane Charitable Funds, which is comprised of three separate funds that each have their own particular donation guidelines, touch the lives of many through its efforts to support issues around food insecurity, affordable housing, education, health, environmental protection, animal welfare and many other worthy causes. MY Project USA is honored to be among those organizations to receive their support.

Learn more about Crane Charitable Funds by visiting rtcranefunds.org. 

MY Community Cafe:

Look Back at the Grand Opening of MY Community Cafe – Then Order a Meal!

It's a Great Day NOT to Cook! Order Online at MYCommunity.Cafe!

Joined by several special guests and members of the community, the ribbon was cut at MY Community Cafe on Friday, March 10, and delicious Middle Eastern and Pakistani food was served. Special thanks goes to the following elected officials, who all were kind enough to take time out of their busy schedules to join us: Ohio State State Senator Hearcel F. Craig, Ohio State Minority Leader Allison Russo, Ohio State Reps. Dave Dobos and Adam Miller, Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano and Columbus City Councilmembers Nick Bankston and Rob Dorans. 

Thanks to members of the Hilltop Tigers soccer club for joining us as well!

Located at 3275 Sullivant Ave., MY Community Cafe is a pay-forward cafe with all proceeds going to help MY Project USA feed and assist all children, elderly, homeless and other clients on the west side of Columbus. This will be a game-changer on many fronts!

We are ready to serve our community and clients at a new level. This cafe will contribute to the economy of the Hilltop area. It will serve amazing sandwiches, wraps, platters and more this Ramadan and beyond. We have a seating area for families to eat here. We are also prepared to cater!

Order. Donate. Feed a Future!

Global Gifts & Thrift:

Let MY Project USA Founder & Executive Director Zerqa Abid Show You Some of the Best Items at Global Gift & Thrift

Check out the great selection today. All proceeds of sales go to funding MY Project USA's programs. Happy shopping!

Shop. Donate. Build a Life!

📍 4730 Cemetery Rd. (Next to the Hilliard BMV)

Annual Report: 

Have You Read Our Annual Report Yet? It's 32 Pages of Great Info!

If you have not yet read our latest annual report, click on the image above (or the button below) to download a PDF of the 32-page report. We did our best to put eight years of work in these pages, but that's nowhere near enough to attempt to tell the full story. 

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.

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.