Ever wonder what severe poverty looks like? In the urban American Indian community in the Twin Cities, families experience what others would likely find unbearable. However, even in the most dire of situations, urban American Indians hold on to their sense of community. Generations of families sometimes live in one bedroom apartments to share all their resources and many often go without basic needs to provide for another.

Although they face an uphill battle with limited job skills and little academic achievement, urban Native people are working to support themselves and their families. The American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (AIOIC) helps around 1600 people a year gain access to independence by helping participants achieve their high school diploma, their GED and complete accredited post-secondary training in health occupations, small business ownership, and green jobs. This experience provides graduates with a good starting salary and access to advanced opportunities that lead to a meaningful career and a well-balanced life.

The American Indian OIC started in 1979 to in response to the high unemployment and poverty rates in the urban American Indian community. The mission of the AIOIC is “to empower American Indians to pursue career opportunities by providing individualized education, training, and employment services in a culturally rich environment.” At AIOIC, generations are learning together - from high school students to elders.

However, many need more than just an education and job training. Most are attempting to resolve a variety of life-long issues that affect their ability to jump immediately to long-term independence. Severely impoverished areas often experience higher rates of violence, teenage parenthood, and other issues that require additional support. AIOIC with the support of a network of partners and professional volunteers provide personal finance, legal aid, health education, restorative parenting, and violence reduction services to help families gain the support they need to move forward long-term.

Surprisingly, one the biggest barriers to staying in school is lack of food. Since our students and employment participants are primarily adults and parents, they often have extremely poor nutrition and limited access to meals that exposes them to illness and lack of energy that prohibits them from gaining all of the information they need. Five years ago, AIOIC created a lunch program that fed participants a hot lunch. As a result, our attendance rates doubled and grades improved. Feedback from students indicate that this is often their only meal of the day. Although this program partners with local food distributors such as Second Harvest, our lunch program is operated with the support of donations.

Even as participants graduate and move on to jobs, they have not yet earned enough money to pay for their needs and often choose between food and transportation or day care to keep their job. AIOIC works to help families during this time of transition with food and food cards so they don't have to make such a choice.

After experiencing historical trauma, relocations, and severe poverty, urban American Indians are working to change their lives. Despite their challenges, they are working to gain an education and seeking meaningful employment to achieve independence. We hope to continue to do our part in advancing the Native community, but we can’t do it without your support. We serve approximately 100 students a day and lunches cost about $1.25 each. A lunch fills a stomach and helps improve concentration in class, but a nutritious meal can influence someone’s health. We appreciate your willingness to consider a gift to this important program as few things in this world are more essential than food.