Committed to making a difference

The Office of Community Health and Research at UAMS recently launched a community of practice, a group of organizations and individuals who work together to find solutions to challenging community problems.

Listed below are some of the organizations that are a part of the UAMS community of practice, committed to addressing food insecurity, homelessness and other social vulnerabilities in our community. They are just a handful of the thousands of organizations doing important work on behalf of our neighbors. Read about them and support their efforts or those of other worthy organizations who help to meet the needs of the less-fortunate in our community.

Arkansas Children’s Northwest

Arkansas Children’s Northwest is the region’s only pediatric hospital. Part of the Arkansas Children’s health care system, it provides thousands of children in the Northwest Arkansas region with access to emergency, primary and specialty medical care – all close to home.

Because they know that only 20% of a child’s health is influenced by healthcare and the other 80% is affected by other factors, Arkansas Children’s Northwest is interested in being part of social resource solutions for families who experience vulnerabilities in other areas that affect their health. Through partnerships, Arkansas Children’s Northwest is working to impact food security, food systems, and other factors that can affect children’s health.

www.archildrens.org/locations/arkansas-childrens-nw

Arkansas Immigrant Defense

Arkansas Immigrant Defense is a nonprofit law firm in Springdale primarily serving survivors and immigrant minors. They also provide family-based immigration legal services on a sliding scale for lowincome clients. Since late 2020, in response to the pandemic, Arkansas Immigrant Defense has also provided food assistance, rental assistance and eviction defense. In addition, Arkansas Immigrant Defense’s social work internship program helps with SNAP/ WIC enrollment, ARKids enrollment and social services referrals.

www.aidarkansas.com

Canopy Northwest Arkansas

Fayetteville’s Canopy Northwest Arkansas is committed to helping refugees with the various services and skills they need to build new lives here in our community. They are made up of a diverse group of Northwest Arkansans who want to see Northwest Arkansas become a community where refugees are welcomed and equipped with all they need to thrive.

Since 2016, they have welcomed nearly 200 refugees to Northwest Arkansas, enrolled over 50 children in school, taught over 400 hours of cultural orientation, and worked with over a dozen employers in the community.

www.canopynwa.org

Chestnut Meadows

Chestnut Meadows is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 multifamily apartment complex located in Fayetteville. With their community outreach program, they are steadily making a difference by providing affordable housing and a weekly source of food security to their tenants.

www.lowincomehousing.us/det/72703-2210-leverett_gardens_ii

Cobblestone Farms

Cobblestone Farms is a nonprofit dedicated to serving the community in the areas of hunger relief and sustainable agriculture. They operate a 25-acre farm in Fayetteville, where they grow produce and raise livestock according to sustainable agricultural principles. They donate a substantial portion of their production toward hunger relief and sell the remainder into the larger food system with a desire to continue to stimulate the local farm-to-table movement. They also work to educate and equip community members and train the next generation of farmers.

www.cobblestonefarms.org

Community Clinic

Community Clinic has provided primary and preventive care for more than 20 years to over 41,000 Northwest Arkansans annually in 15 locations, including eight school-based health centers. Regardless of one’s ability to pay, Community Clinic offers comprehensive, patient-centered care for the underserved. Medical services include primary care with integrated behavioral health, pediatric, prenatal and dental care. Beyond individuals’ immediate health needs, Community Clinic also assists with access to critical support services for transportation and food insecurity, access to shelter, and more.

www.communityclinicnwa.org

Department of Human Services – Division of Children and Family Services

Their mission is to keep children safe and help families. The Division of Children and Family Services respectfully engages families and youth, and uses community-based services and supports to assist parents in successfully caring for their children. They focus on the safety, permanency and well-being of all children and youth.

www.humanservices.arkansas.gov

FoodCorps Arkansas

Together with communities, FoodCorps serves to connect kids to healthy food in school. Their mission is to help create a future in which all our nation’s children – regardless of race, place or class – know what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. FoodCorps currently has programs in the Springdale School District, Van Buren School District and Cedarville Elementary.

www.facebook.com/foodcorpsarkansas

Full Circle Food Pantry

The Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry is a student-run food pantry on campus at the University of Arkansas. Full Circle was established in 2011 and serves between 800 and 900 University of Arkansas and the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus community members and their families each month. Full Circle serves those currently affiliated with the University of Arkansas and the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, including students, staff, faculty and temporary workers.

service.uark.edu/services/pantry

Little Free Pantry

Jessica McClard launched the grassroots mini pantry movement in May 2016 in Fayetteville when she planted the Little Free Pantry pilot, a wooden box on a post containing food, personal care, and paper items that was accessible to everyone all the time, no questions asked. She hoped her spin on the Little Free Library concept would pique local awareness of food insecurity while creating a space for neighbors to help meet neighborhood food needs. A little over a month later, CrystalRock Cathedral Women’s Ministries planted a blessing box in Ardmore, Oklahoma. By August 2016, the movement was global. Throughout the United States and internationally, the grassroots mini pantry movement continues growing and helping.

www.littlefreepantry.org

The Manna Center

The Manna Center Food Pantry and Thrift Store in Siloam Springs has been helping families in need for 28 years. They assist families Monday through Friday in their brick and mortar location, and outreach three days each week to locations in other communities. In-house they serve approximately 350 families each month and outreach up to 900 families.

www.themannacenter.org

Marshallese Educational Initiative

The Marshallese Educational Initiative serves the Marshallese community and non-Marshallese organizations that also serve Marshallese clients. Their mission is to raise awareness of Marshallese history and culture and facilitate dialogue between Marshallese and nonMarshallese peoples to ensure greater understanding and engender empathy with a goal of positive societal change. They are also engaged in whole health concept initiatives promoting physical and emotional well-being and other projects that address societal inequities brought to light by the pandemic.

www.mei.ngo

Oasis of Northwest Arkansas

Oasis of Northwest Arkansas is a women’s transitional living community that provides safe, sober housing and resources for women in recovery and their children.

www.oasisforwomennwa.org

Open Arms Pregnancy Center and Food Pantry

Open Arms Pregnancy Center and Food Pantry in Huntsville opened in 2001 and serves Madison County with USDA commodities and emergency food. They work with pregnant families, the elderly, disabled families, food insecure families and the homeless.

Their goal is “to lift the burden of poverty off families so they can experience the joy of life.”

www.arhomevisiting.org/hv-sites/open-arms-pregnancy-center

Ozark Regional Transit

Ozark Regional Transit is dedicated to providing safe, reliable and affordable public transportation to residents of Fayetteville, Rogers and Bentonville, as well as serving both the rural and urban residents in Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties. You can find a map of their routes on their website.

www.ozark.org

Samaritan Community Center

The Samaritan Community Center is a grace-driven nonprofit that serves the hurting and hungry of Northwest Arkansas with dignity and compassion. Over the last 19 years, their organization has grown to include a free dental clinic, snack pack program, pantries and kitchens at locations in Springdale and Rogers. They have two Samaritan Shop thrift stores, in Rogers and Springdale, that provide financial support to their overall operations.

They strive to provide the most nutrient-dense food for their clients and they have a garden that supplements their meals and groceries with organic, sustainably-grown produce.

www.samcc.org

Seeds That Feed

Seeds that Feed is a nonprofit organization that was dreamed up on a front porch by friends who shared a common urge to address the needs of our Northwest Arkansas community. They collect fresh produce from farmers markets (the Fayetteville Farmers Market is a partner), local farms and donors to distribute fresh, healthy food to those who need it in Benton and Washington counties. This allows food that would otherwise end up being thrown away or unnecessarily composted to go to those who need it the most. The organization helps make eating healthier a reality for tens of thousands of Northwest Arkansans who may not have access otherwise.

www.seedsfeed.org

St. James Food Pantry

The purpose of St. James Baptist Church in Fayetteville is to “restore hope and provide opportunities for people to become all that God intends them to be.”They focus on helping those experiencing homelessness, hunger and poverty. Their passion is driven by their commitment to meet the needs of others, provide essential resources, increase community connectivity, and offer stability to those that call our community home.

www.stjbc.org/ministries/community-outreach

Tri Cycle Farms

Tri Cycle Farms is a non-profit, urban community farm located in the center of Fayetteville. Founded in 2011, Tri Cycle Farms seeks to grow “Community Through Soil” and address food insecurity in the neighboring community through food distribution and education. Through community engagement based on regenerative agricultural practices and equitable redistribution of foods to community members experiencing food insecurity, Tri Cycle Farms has been fulfilling its mission since the first garden in 2012.

www.tricyclefarms.org

Urban League of the State of Arkansas

The Urban League has a rich history of serving communities nationwide. One of the few statewide affiliates in Arkansas, they carry this tradition forward through their efforts to improve the health, education, wealth and housing of Arkansans.

With a commitment to equity, inclusion and justice, the Urban Leaague of the State of Arkansas works to advance economic and social opportunities and prosperity for all Arkansans, with a concerted focus on the areas of health, education, jobs and housing. They have satellite offices in Springdale and Helena, with their central office located in Little Rock.

www.urbanleagueark.org