Nokomis East Neighborhood Association

Give Where You Live

NENA is committed to helping Nokomis East neighbors by working arm-in-arm with neighbors and businesses to support and bring resources to our four neighborhoods we all love to call home.

We support building community by providing food support, facilitating community connections, promoting public safety, sharing local resource information and connections, supporting initiatives that keep our neighborhood healthy, and championing local businesses. 

Keep reading to learn more about how NENA helps the Nokomis East Neighborhood.

1. Events. NENA hosts a number of events throughout the year, including a Food Truck Rally, Community Clean Up Days, Holiday Decor Tours, and a Block Party at the Bossen Apartments. Our events are designed to bring community together and create lasting community connections, along with creating awareness of the issues many of our neighbors face. With this knowledge, there is an opportunity for the community to do better. NENA relies on the support of volunteers and provides multiple opportunities for volunteerism through our events. Giving back to the community gives people a sense of pride in our Nokomis East Neighborhood.
2. Resource Sharing. In addition to regularly sharing information across all of our communication channels, NENA participates in and co-sponsors community events throughout the year. We've co-sponsored candidate forums, tabled at various events and share community events and resources on behalf of our community partners. We stay aware of important events and resources for the Nokomis East Neighborhood to ensure our neighbors have the resources they need for a healthy and happy community.
3. Food Support. NENA recognizes there are food insecure neighbors all around the Nokomis East Neighborhood. We partner with Good in the 'Hood, Trinity Lutheran of Minnehaha Falls, and Crosstown Covenant Church to run a twice monthly food distribution. In addition to contributing funds, NENA provides staffing to manage the food distribution each month. We also bring community resources to the food distribution to offer more robust experiences to our neighbors.
4. Supporting and Partnering with Local Businesses. NENA is deeply committed to the success of local businesses. We support business by facilitating Facade Improvement grants, participating in NEBA (Nokomis East Business Association), and regular meetings with business owners. We partner with local businesses in a variety of ways, including hosting a Blood Drive with Nokomis Tattoo, participating in Nokomis Days, secured donations for Annunciation School families, and much more. We actively listen to our business neighbors and offer our support to help their businesses thrive. 
5. Community Gardens. NENA prioritizes sustainability and keeping our community beautiful and healthy with our support of three community gardens-Nokomis East Giving Garden, Nokomis East Gateway Garden, and Nokomis Naturescape. Each garden has unique vegetation and provides opportunities for the community to come together through shared interests, volunteering, and giving back.

You can read more about NENA at www.nokomiseast.org.  For more information on NENA contact our Executive Director Sarah Friedman at nena@nokomiseast.org or call 612.724.5652.