Heart Ministry Center is developing a social enterprise, a 24,670 sq. ft., full-service grocery store for north Omaha and the broader Omaha community. The store is being built to meet community needs, provide employment for Fresh Start graduates and neighborhood residents, and generate economic impact in the neighborhood. As a social enterprise, its proceeds will go back to supporting the mission of Heart Ministry Center. HMC is hosting community vision meetings to inform residents about the vision for the store and gather input. The first meeting is scheduled for June 17, and will include a presentation from architecture firm Alley Poyner Macchietto.
No More Empty Pots this summer will launch another season of youth-focused classes and workshops, including summer programming with Nathan Hale Middle School, Field Club Elementary School, the Douglas County Health Department’s Project New Lens program and the Peter Kiewit Foundation’s Summer Fun series.
The program will bring busloads of students from organizations across Omaha to the No More Empty Pots’ Food Hub in north Omaha for immersive educational experiences centered on cooking, nutrition, agriculture, and food systems. The organization just wrapped up a school year serving as an after-school program through Collective for Youth, in which NMEP educators engaged more than 60 elementary and middle school students in culinary labs, nutrition education lessons, gardening activities and food science experiments.
After merging with Children’s Square in the fall of 2025, Child Saving Institute announced plans this week to begin a series of initial capital improvements to the Children’s Square campus in Council Bluffs later this year. Several of the impacted buildings are between 70 and 115 years old. Renovations will focus on improving safety, sustainability and the organization’s ability to serve children and families.
The Set Me Free Project, in partnership with Union Pacific, hosted a Human Trafficking Awareness Event last week. The event educated participants about trafficking prevention and led discussions regarding community action.