Alano Society of Minneapolis Inc

A nonprofit organization

129 donors

Critical services are provided here to help alcoholics,  addicts, and their families begin and maintain recovery. Operating solely by volunteers on donations, our demand is huge and has only risen with the pandemic. Built in 1887 and established in 1942, The Alano Society of Minneapolis, aka 2218, is the longest continuously running AA club in the world.  Both of the AA founders and the Al-Anon co-founder have spoken here.  The building is rich with history.

During the Alano Society's first decade, recovering alcoholics attended meetings at 2218 to help themselves and others achieve and maintain sobriety. Slowly the rooms of the mansion filled many times each week with AA members and, beginning in the 1960s with Al Anon members joining also. In the 1970s, the building was home to more than 60 meetings, known as squads. Six days each week, food was prepared in the commercially graded kitchen and sold to people in attendance, generating significant revenue.

Since its purchase, the structure of our building has suffered from the passage of time, use, and weather.  Wood, shingles, flooring and other structural materials used on the exterior and interior spaces began to deteriorate. The kitchen no longer holds a commercial use license as it is in need of additional repairs and upgrades. Our kitchen is vital to our community, donations from the community have helped us begin this process.

2218 continues to serve as an important resource in the Minneapolis recovery community and the metro area as a whole. The neighborhood around the building is home to more than 20 sober living facilities and halfway houses. The Alano Society serves as a vital partner to these homes, ensuring AA meetings essential to their residents' continued recovery. 


Despite current space restrictions, our service work continues to grow. We have recently added a number of  specialty meetings.

Building renovation will make more such meetings possible. 2218 is ideally located to address the ballooning need for addiction-related services among the low-income populations as well as diverse cultural and immigrant groups that comprise much of our adjacent community.  Plans also call for a greater number of popular social events, like our recent well-attended drag show as well as our Ride for Recovery, that allow members of these communities to interact in a sober environment. 


Won't you partner with us to help keep hope alive and the doors open for those in need?  




Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Alano Society of Minneapolis Inc

other names

2218

Tax id (EIN)

41-0629024

Categories

Health Community Volunteer

Address

2218 1ST AVE S
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55404