We’re excited to welcome PLAY/GROUND 2021 to the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood this summer! Sponsored by The Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art (BICA) and Resource:Art, PLAY/GROUND brings a series of public art installations to our community and downtown Buffalo from August 6-15, 2021. The Matt Urban Center will be participating as a host site for an installation. Youth and families in our summer program will collaborate with the selected artist to create the piece that will be installed at our main headquarters at 1081 Broadway. Public art proposals are being accepted on the PLAY/GROUND website now through June 4, 2021. Learn more about PLAY/GROUND 2021 by checking out this article by Buffalo Rising.
Community Clean-up Event This Month!
MUC will be joining our friends at the Greater East Side Field of Dreams Block Club Association for their annual neighborhood clean-up on Saturday, May 22 from 10:00AM to 1:00PM. Volunteers will gather at Detroit Street and Paderewski Drive and span out to clean neighboring streets. The block club is still seeking volunteers to join the clean-up effort, as well as donations of gloves, garbage bags, and bottled water. Volunteers will be provided with a thank you meal to-go. Those who are interested in volunteering or donating supplies can contact Marva Threat at mth1043938@aol.com.
Join Us This Summer on SuperStreet
Join the Matt Urban Center and our neighboring community organizations for the kickoff of Summer on SuperStreet at the green space on the corner of Clark and Kent streets. Sponsored by Jericho Road Community Health Center, this initiative will launch on May 15 from 11:00AM to 3:00PM and will continue to provide a variety of programming at the green space every week throughout the summer and early fall. Our Housing & Community Development staff and Youth Department staff will be at the Superman Corner on multiple dates in July and August, to talk with local residents about available programs while providing fun activities for kids! Visit the Summer on Superstreet website for the calendar of events and more information.
Hope Center Presents Holiday Meal To-Go!
Mark your calendars for December 23! Chef Chris is whipping up another delicious, free holiday meal for the community from the Matt Urban Hope Center’s Urban Diner. All meals are grab-and-go and can be picked up at our 385 Paderewski Drive. Masks are required at pick-up.
Cookies for a Cause Raises $2000 for Hope House
Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the 2020 Cookies for a Cause fundraiser to benefit Matt Urban Center was a tremendous success!
Since 2017, Rebecca Decker has organized a cookie exchange at the holidays with all proceeds going to support the women and children staying at our Hope House shelter. This year’s event was a cookie sale with socially distanced pick-ups to accommodate COVID-19 guidelines. Thanks to our generous supporters, the event raised over $2,000.
Since its inception, Cookies for a Cause has raised $6,500 to support Hope House. Extra special thanks go out to Rebecca Decker for all her hard work in organizing this annual event on our behalf!
Donate to Hope House on Giving Tuesday
It’s difficult to imagine spending the holiday season in a homeless shelter, but for many of our clients, that will be their reality this year.
We’re participating in #GivingTuesday on December 1 to try to make the holidays a little brighter for those staying at the Matt Urban Hope House emergency shelter. Donations will be used to purchase essential items and holiday gifts for the women and their children.
Please consider making your #GivingTuesday donation at www.urbanctr.org/donate-to-muc
Grab-and-Go Thanksgiving Feast at Matt Urban Hope Center
Join us next Wednesday, November 25 for a grab-and-go Thanksgiving Feast prepared by our Hope Center chef, Chris! Meals are free to the community and can be picked up from 2-5pm outside 385 Paderewski Drive. Masks are mandatory and social distancing measures will be in place. One member of a household can come pick up on behalf of your family.
Happy Thanksgiving to our community!
Cookies for a Cause To Benefit Matt Urban Center
We’re SO excited that Cookies for a Cause will still be taking place this year (in pandemic-safe fashion, of course), thanks to the determination of our event organizer, Rebecca Decker.
This year’s event has been reimagined as a cookie sale, with all proceeds benefitting the Matt Urban Center. Orders must be submitted by November 28. The online cookie order form can be found here: https://forms.gle/F3sMzXG1KmUKfgoH7
More information and updates can be found on the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/648458776034419
Kicking Off Our Fall Donation Drive!
Since many of our in-person volunteer opportunities have been placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re inviting our supporters to team up with their friends, family, and coworkers to participate in a drive to support our essential programs!
With the winter fast approaching, many of our programs serving homeless and low-income individuals and families are working to stock up on supplies needed to keep their clients clothed, warm and fed.
We’re also looking for school supplies for our Community Hub at the T.J. Dulski Center, which will provide daycare and academic support to working families whose children have to attend school remotely.
Please click here for a full list of our donation needs, as well as an option to make a monetary donation.
If you would like to coordinate a drop-off or pick-up, or would like more information, please contact Sarah Maurer, Development Director, at smaurer@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 x232.
Thanks for your ongoing support for our agency and the clients we serve!
Join Us For Trunk or Treat To-Go!
October is upon us, which means it’s almost time for our annual fall community event at the Buffalo Central Terminal! In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be called “Trunk or Treat To-Go!” and will be a socially distanced walkthrough with procedures in place to ensure that our trick-or-treaters and their families are safe. We will provide bags of candy, take-home creativity kits, refreshments and pumpkins to-go!
Date: Wednesday, October 28 (Rain date: Friday, October 30)
Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Location: Buffalo Central Terminal, 495 Paderewski Drive, Buffalo, NY 14212
*Masks are required to attend this event!*
We welcome volunteers to participate in the event by decorating their vehicles and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Those interested can contact Danyel Sease at dsease@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 x403 to register a car for the event.
We are accepting in-kind donations of candy, juice boxes, donut holes, pumpkins, art supplies, and bags for trick-or-treaters. Any donation, at any level, is greatly appreciated and will be publicly recognized. Click here for our sponsorship form.
For more information on the event, contact Sarah Maurer at smaurer@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 ext. 232.
Keep an eye on our Facebook event page for more updates!
