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Volunteer Opportunity: Urban Diner

Our Matt Urban Hope Center’s Urban Diner serves a fresh, healthy meal to residents free of charge on weekdays. We are looking for volunteers to help with food preparation (10:00AM to 1:30PM) and diner service (1:30PM to 4:30PM). Due to social distancing requirements, we cannot accommodate large groups for volunteering at this time.
Those interested in volunteering can contact Sarah Maurer at smaurer@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 x232.
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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.
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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!

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Hope Center Urban Diner Re-Opening

After a long closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are thrilled to announce that our Urban Diner at the Matt Urban Hope Center will be re-opening for to-go operations on Monday, September 21!
All meals will be distributed outside the front entrance of our Hope Center at 385 Paderewski Drive. A mask is required and we will have markers on the sidewalk to assist with social distancing requirements. We encourage families to send one member to pick up on behalf of their household. Distribution of the grab-and-go meals will run Monday through Friday, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. or until meals run out.
Please contact Cherise Carson, Hope Center Coordinator, at 716-893-7222 x329 for more information.
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Our 2019 Annual Report

We’re excited to release our 2019 Annual Report to the Community!

Our agency closed out 2019 having served over 19,000 residents of the City of Buffalo’s East Side and surrounding towns through a variety of human service programs – whether they were homeless clients or homeowners in our neighborhoods, students in local schools or senior citizens. That number alone speaks to the tremendous impact of our agency’s diverse programs and the tireless dedication of the staff who report to work here every day. We strive every day, and every year, to fulfill the simple mission of serving individuals and families in need.

Here are just SOME of our programs’ 2019 accomplishments:

  • 62 Homes Weatherized – Saving residents money on their utility bills by making their homes energy efficient
  • 30 Homes Repaired – Helping homeowners in Fillmore and Lovejoy Districts make health safety repairs to their homes
  • 111 Homeless Clients Housed by Street Outreach – Connecting individuals living on the street with safe housing and resources to improve their quality of life
  • 834 Children Served – Supporting youth development through after-school, summer, and teen workforce programming
  • 120 Permanent Supportive Housing Placements – Helping homeless clients secure safe, long-term housing through MUC sites and our local landlord partners
  • 995 Senior Citizens Supported – Providing elderly clients with resources to help them stay in their homes and out of assisted living
  • 619 People Given Shelter – Providing homeless women and children a safe place to stay in our Hope House emergency shelter
  • 10,344 Meals Served – Offering daily hot meals at our Urban Diner in partnership with Friends of Night People

Click here to see the full report.

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Black History Month Celebration

The Matt Urban Hope Center will host a Black History Month celebration event, featuring a cultural meal and a presentation with facts about famous African American men and women and their accomplishments. The event will take place on Thursday, February 20 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Urban Diner at 385 Paderewski Drive. For more information, contact Cherise Carson at (716) 893-7222 x329 or ccarson@urbanctr.org.

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Community Holiday Dinner at Matt Urban Hope Center

For those in need of some holiday cheer, stop by the Matt Urban Hope Center at 385 Paderewski Drive on Monday, December 23 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. for our Community Holiday Dinner! We’ll have a lasagna dinner and sugar cookie decorating for children and families. The event is free to attend and all are welcome!

Interested in volunteering at this event? Visit our online sign up for a list of available volunteer slots: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4faea92da1f49-hope

Contact Cherise Carson at (716) 893-7222 x329 or ccarson@urbanctr.org for more information.

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Community Thanksgiving at Matt Urban Hope Center

The Matt Urban Hope Center will host a Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday, November 27 from 3:00-6:00PM at our Urban Diner, located at 385 Paderewski Drive. The meal is free and all are welcome to attend.

We are currently seeking volunteers to help serve the meal on Wednesday, November 27th, from 2:00-7:00PM. You can sign up to volunteer using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4faea92da1f49-community

For more information or to donate, please contact Cherise Carson at ccarson@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 x329.

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Chef’s Tour at Hope House

We had a great time meeting with our new chef friends from The Black Sheep, Amy’s Place, and Swan Street Diner to give them a tour of our project at School 57, including the space where our Urban Diner and commercial kitchen will be. They helped us brainstorm how we could develop our Hope Works job training program to better utilize this amazing space. We’re looking forward to an awesome partnership with these fine folks as we build out the kitchen and develop future programming!

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Volunteers Needed: Urban Diner

Looking to do some volunteering in the New Year? We are in need of some dedicated volunteers to work in our Urban Diner kitchen at the Matt Urban Hope Center!
Volunteers are needed on weekdays from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Tasks include preparing meals and drinks in the kitchen, as well as washing dishes and taking out garbage.
To learn more or sign up to volunteer, please contact Latasha Colbert at (716) 893-7222 x313 or lcolbert@urbanctr.org.