Kingfield Neighborhood Association

An Ask From Our Friends at Beacon (aka Nicollet Square!) To Act Today & Support Affordable Housing

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Hello Kingfield Friends!

I want to let you know of an opportunity to impact housing policy in the Minneapolis in a really simple way. This is the time of year when the city is looking at the way they prioritize funding in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund – last year one of our developments for families coming from homelessness was not funded, and this opened our eyes to the hard choices they are making. We ultimately want to see them use the dollars they have to invest a LOT more in housing at the lowest income levels. We think they need to start by making that a more explicit goal.

I thought of you all of course because Kingfield is so proactive about looking for deeply affordable development! It would mean a lot for the city to also be hearing from you. Please take 5 min to send in letters through Friday April 30th following the simple instructions below.

THE ACTION!

The City of Minneapolis has published proposed guidelines for the next round of funding through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. They are receiving comments from Minneapolis residents through the end of the month. This is our chance to make a smoother path for housing that will be truly affordable for residents with low incomes!

  1. If you’d like to read Beacon’s full letter and comments find it here.
  2. Write your own email or letter using the template below. We’re asking residents of the City of Minneapolis to send these messages, and to include your councilmember when you do. You do not need to repeat the long and detailed comments we are sending in – the main point is for the city to hear your agreement that resources should first be targeted for households with the lowest incomes. Remind them – this program can do so much more to address homelessness and racial disparities!
  3. Email your letter to: carrie.goldberg​@minneapolismn.​gov and copy to egoldthwaitefri​es@beaconinterf​aith.org and your City Council member. Look your councilmember up and find their email address here.

Butter Book Conversation: ‘Caste’ by Wilkerson

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  • Zoom

Hosted by Butter Bakery Cafe

To connect with Kingfield’s 100 Days of Community, Butter is offering a set of conversations using Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste. Join neighbors to consider ways systems of caste are found and active in Kingfield. For March we’ll aim to cover areas from the first third of the book – We’ll continue the conversations on the third Tuesdays of April and May.

You don’t need to have read the book to benefit from the conversation! And you can join in for any or all three events and still find something to activate you to work for equity.

For more information you can contact Dan at the cafe or by email –

For Most of Us, Home is not “Mysterious”.

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For most of us, home is a given, something we have always had and never had to worry about.

One of our partners that KFNA is fundraising for through Kingfield Empty Bowls is Nicollet Square which is located in Kingfield Neighborhood and is a project of Beacon Interfaith Housing. Watch this short video to look inside Nicollet Square and meet Clifton, a resident in our neighborhood who lives there.

Support Nicollet Square and its’ residents by attending the Kingfield Empty Bowls (Virtual) Community Dinner & Trivia Event on Thursday February 11, 6:30-8:00 PM! RSVP here to save your household’s spot at the table for this event! Trivia will be hosted by Tane Danger and Heather Meyer, both Kingfield neighbors and members of The Theater of Public Policy. 

If you cannot attend the event you can donate directly here and put “Empty Bowls” in the dedication.

Kingfield Empty Bowls (Virtually!) Kicks Off Today!

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For ten years, Kingfield Neighbors have gathered together on a cold February evening to dine together on delicious soups and breads, and raise funds for community’s affordable housing partners. Although this year will need to look different, it was felt by the planning team that this year, maybe more strongly than any other year, we NEED this hold this event.

So how do we hold a community dinner when we can’t gather as a community? Empty Bowls is about more than soup!

What REALLY goes into the “soup” at Kingfield Empty Bowls?

  • Strengthening local businesses
  • Supporting affordable housing
  • Building community!

We can still do these things, AND have soup too! See the Menu of Actions Below!

Empty Bowls Action #1: Visit Butter Bakery Café or The Lowbrow for Soup!

Bring one of your own bowls from a past Empty Bowls event to show your support (or feel free to make donation and take a new one of ours!) When you order soup at Butter Bakery or The Lowbrow they will also donate the price of your soup to support affordable housing options in our community! You can even choose to eat it at the restaurant (make a reservation) or get it to-go!

Empty Bowls Action #2: Donate directly to KFNA by texting the words ‘Affordable Housing’ to #44-321 to Support This Work in Our Community!

Donated funds for bowls and soup will be divided between three partners: Nicollet Square, City of Lake Community Land Trust, and KFNA, to support ongoing work like we did this past summer with the unhoused folks at MLK Park. Please also support these amazing local partnering businesses by purchasing something extra with your soup (like a hot coffee, cold beer, or delicious dessert!) so they also benefit from you visit.

Empty Bowls Action #3: Share a photo with Your Community here!

Send a photo to KFNA of your family making soup, enjoying soup from a local participating restaurant, or eating soup at home. You can also take a photo of your favorite soup recipe, Grandma’s Borscht  or Auntie Mae’s Fiery Corn Chowder, and share that as well. KFNA will be creating a virtual “bulletin board” of you images to show the engagement and activity in our community! 

Empty Bowls Action #4: RSVP to attend the Empty Bowls (Virtual) Community Dinner & Trivia Event

RSVP here to save your household’s spot at the table for the Kingfield Empty Bowls Virtual Community Dinner & Trivia Event. Trivia will be hosted by Tane Danger and Heather Meyer, both Kingfield neighbors and members of the Theater of Public Policy!

Set the table, ladle out the soup, and plug in your laptop to enjoy a special show about Kingfield presented by our hosts Tane and Heather. Be sure to have your cell phone handy so you can also participate in the online Kingfield-centric trivia, focused on the history of Kingfield’s residents and dwellings. Tane says, “it’s going to be a super fun, interactive online trivia event, where YOU can play with, and against!, others in the neighborhood!” 

And did we say prizes? We should have, as there will be prizes too! 

Any questions about Kingfield Empty Bowls should be directed to KFNA Executive Director Sarah Linnes-Robinson.

Free Postcards to create Waves of Thankfulness for Healthcare Workers now available!

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Step 1: Go to Butter Bakery Cafe , located at 3700 Nicollet.
Step 2: Select several of the Artist designed postcards.
Step 3: Order a warm beverage and sit outside and add a personal note of “thanks” to each card, or take them home with you to do at the kitchen table.
Step 4: If you want to mail your cards to healthcare workers that you have a relationship with leave the right-hand side of the card free, and address and mail them (….and thank you for supporting the US Post Office!)
Or
If you want us to deliver them to local nursing homes, hospitals, and clinics you can fill the entire back of the card with text! Then just bring them back to Butter Bakery (3700 Nicollet) by end of the day December 24th (or on their December 31st New Year’s/Birthday Party) and place them in the Christmas Postcard box!