GMCC

Our Origin Story

GMCC (founded as Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches) was founded in 1905 as a faith-based initiative to serve the community. For 115 years, we have fulfilled our mission of "uniting people of faith, serving people in need," through a range of initiatives that have included advocacy and education around equity and poverty; volunteerism and service learning; mentoring and youth development; support services for seniors; hunger-relief; and bringing people together to strengthen families and communities. 

Today, GMCC embraces our origin story through an intercultural approach that intentionally welcomes all belief communities in our work.

Present Work

GMCC is an entrepreneurial organization that partners with communities most impacted by current challenges, providing an opportunity to co-design and craft responses with local stakeholders. We bring forth an equitable structure for collaboration and power-sharing. We work with communities and in spaces where we can add value, in particular in the areas of food, youth, and well-being.

Current Initiatives

Food

Minnesota FoodShare - Founded in 1981, Minnesota FoodShare is a longstanding brand of GMCC's food security and justice work. Our annual March Campaign engages thousands of people to raise food and funds for our 285 food shelf partners across Minnesota. In 2021, March Campaign raised $13,076,992 and 6,485,390 pounds of food. 

Minnesota Venture Farms (MVF) - Currently under development, Minnesota Venture Farms (MVF) is a BIPOC-led response to inequities in our food system that further disparities in health, housing, education, and wealth. MVF is an enterprise that is led by a collective of BIPOC farmers, agricultural leaders, and food entrepreneurs. MVF builds a new, equitable food ecosystem including BIPOC land ownership, new distribution channels, and co-designed microenterprises.

Youth

Genius Labs@ GMCC

• Digital Café - Launched in Summer 2021, Digital Café brought together technological access, studio learning, and youth-centered design to create opportunities to middle school youth that fostered creativity, independence, critical thinking, and self-awareness. In Fall 2021 we plan to incorporate food support through meals and food boxes alongside learning opportunities and experiences for the whole family including courses for parents, sports clinics, healing-centered mental health support, pathways to career development, and much more. Read more about our summer session here: https://gmcc.org/2021/08/a-summer-for-discovering-genius/ 
• Tech Teens - Launching in October 2021 the goal of Tech Teens is to spark student interest in technology, exposing them to the variety within the tech field, and position them for careers in technology or those that require technology. Tech Teens will focus on three core areas: learning technologies, career preparation, and soft skills training. 
  

Youth Innovation Labs - Currently under development, Youth Innovation Labs provides underinvested youth with paid positions that inform systems change. Youth design more equitable and innovative products, services, policies, and solutions with community organizations, government agencies, and corporations.

Well-being

Community Co-Design - By uncovering perspectives and experiences that are not currently captured, thus not considered, GMCC’s Community Co-Design provides healthcare systems, community organizations, government agencies, and users of our healthcare system the opportunity turn understanding of lived experiences into practical and powerful solutions, strategy, and action. 

Face the Facts: Poverty and Privilege Training - Our award-winning poverty simulation, previously a component of our Urban Immersions program (suspended indefinitely), Face The Facts focuses on education and awareness on the complexities and root causes of poverty, privilege, and social justice issues within our communities. Due to COVID-19 in-person trainings have paused, however, the GMCC team is actively engaged with development of a virtual format. Stay tuned! 

Read about our current initiatives here: https://gmcc.org/initiatives/ 

“We are small, but large in heart.” – Gloria J. Lewis, retired CEO Big Brothers Big Sisters MN, and former GMCC Board Member

1100 E Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55407
info@gmcc.org  |  612-276-1500  |  gmcc.org