Spring Tea & Blooms this Saturday!
Saturday, May 8
2:00-4:00pm | Armatage Park
Grab your mask and join us for Spring Tea & Blooms at Armatage Park this Saturday from 2:00-4:00pm! Jinx Tea and Sparrow Café will take orders outside, new neighborhood business Café Cerés will share samples, and the ANA will give away take-home kids’ planting kits (supplies are limited). Pick up a free book donated by Jump! at 54th & Penn and complete a scavenger hunt and enter to win a gift card to a neighborhood business!
Thank you for following our safety guidelines by wearing a mask during the event, keeping 6 feet of distance from everyone outside of your household, and bringing your treats home or into the park to enjoy. The weather looks great but in case of severe weather, cancellations will be posted on Facebook, Nextdoor, and Twitter.
Register to Run for the ANA Board by this Sunday
Please consider running for the Armatage Neighborhood Association’s Board of Directors through our annual Board Election this May. Board members have a critical role in shaping our neighborhood nonprofit for years to come and it’s a great way to get involved and give back.
Members of underrepresented communities are especially encouraged to run for the board, including renters, seniors, residents with disabilities, and residents who identify as LGBTQ or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color).
Learn more about what’s involved, the time commitment, and register to run by Sunday, May 9 at 11:59pm at https://armatage.org/2021boardelection/
Support the Armatage Neighborhood Association
The Armatage Neighborhood Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and engaging our community. Donations drive our work. Support the neighborhood through GiveMN here.
HUGE thanks to GiveMN for hosting Spring Forward MN this May so we can give generously to help nonprofits and schools across Minnesota spring forward into what comes next for them—whether that’s continuing to help our neighbors through this crisis or working to reopen their doors. There are so many organizations to support – visit www.givemn.org to learn more.
Register for the Armatage Annual Meeting
Tuesday, May 18
6:30-8:00pm | Zoom
Join your neighbors for a virtual Armatage Annual Meeting! Register at https://bit.ly/ANAmtgs to attend.
At the Annual Meeting, you will hear from the leaders of Armatage Reparations & Equity Action, connect with State Representative Jamie Long, City Council Member Linea Palmisano and County Commissioner Marion Greene, enter to win one of six $25 gift cards to a local business (must be present to win), hear board election results, and learn what the ANA is doing for our community.
Online Board Election: May 11-18
Make your voice heard and vote in the Online Board Election from May 11 through May 18 at 7:30pm. All Armatage residents 18 years and older and designated business/institutional representatives are able to vote in the election through an online form that will be posted at armatage.org on May 11. Please see above for more details on running for election!
Garden Tool Swap: May 8
Saturday, May 8
11:00am-1:00pm | Various Locations
Spring is officially here! To celebrate many of us are turning towards our home and our green spaces. When cleaning out your storage, hang on to unused yard tools, gardening items, and plant-related equipment and bring them to the first ever city-wide Garden Tool Swap! Our closest location is at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (4055 Nicollet Ave S). See items to bring, other swap locations and more details here.
The swap is hosted by Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling and community partners. ALL are welcome at the free event, whether you’re a first-time gardener or have a green thumb.
- All items are intended to be given and taken freely. Garden tools and equipment are not for sale at this event.
- Please be respectful of your neighbors. Take only what you need so everyone can participate.
- Wear face coverings and maintain at least 6 feet distance from others.
Social Media – Pause Before You Post
Social media can be a great way to stay informed, but it’s important to consider whether the information you’re reading is from a trusted source and to pause before posting or sharing. Last Friday, a crime was reported as occurring in Armatage on a local Facebook group and on Nextdoor. When we followed up with the Minneapolis Police Department to learn more, we learned that the original incident hadn’t actually occurred in Armatage at all but was misreported and then shared widely.
You can do your part by seeking trusted sources for news and taking a moment to pause before sharing information on social media. Does your post or the post you’re sharing:
- Focus on behavior and how/why you think it is suspicious (which might change depending on the time of day)
- Provide a full description of the person/s involved, including clothing, as well as details about the location, vehicle, etc. to avoid over-generalizations
To help us all be both good neighbors and sharers of good information, the ANA will continue to compile safety resources through the August trials at https://armatage.org/trial/
Minnesota Rent Help
RentHelpMN was created to help Minnesotans who have fallen behind on their rent or utility bills or fear that could happen. If you find yourself in this position, RentHelpMN is here to help. Eligible renters can receive help with rent and utility bills dated on or after March 13, 2020. If you qualify, you could receive up to 15 months of total assistance.
Find out if you qualify and apply at http://renthelpmn.org or by calling 211, which has dedicated multilingual staff available to answer questions from 8:00am until 8:00pm, Monday through Saturday.
Armatage Welcome Bags
Have you or someone on your block recently moved to Armatage? If so, we want to bring you an Armatage Welcome Bag! The groovy, reusable tote bag’s contents include useful information on the ANA, elected representatives, governmental services, local businesses, and a couple of fun items to welcome you.
- Homeowners: be on the lookout for friendly ANA volunteers Ethan (pictured) or Kevin with a Welcome Bag with your name on it! They’ll swing by to do a masked, distanced drop-off.
- Renters: if you are a renter who moved in during the past year or if you own a rental property in the neighborhood and have new tenants, please reach out to us at anacoordinator@armatage.org and let us know where we can drop off a Welcome Bag!
Get Involved on an Armatage Committee
Neighbors are encouraged to join an Armatage Committee and get involved. Currently, most meetings are held on Zoom. Click on each group’s link below to learn more. Register to attend a meeting at https://bit.ly/ANAmtgs
- Community Engagement next meets tonight, Thursday, May 6, from 5:30-6:30pm on Zoom.
- The Green Team will next meet on Thursday, May 13 from 7:00-8:15pm on Zoom.
- Safety, Equity & Outreach next meets Saturday, June 5 from 10:00-11:00am at Armatage Park (see more above). Kids welcome and plan to wear a mask.
Community Safety Workshops
Nonviolent Peaceforce is holding Community Safety Training Workshops on May 8 and May 22 from Saturday from 11:00am-5:00pm (optional breakfast will be provided for participants at 10:00am) located outdoors in the Little Earth Neighborhood (meet at Cedar Ave S & 24th St E, Minneapolis, MN 55404). All are welcome to register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CommunitySafetyWorkshop Wear a mask and plan to distance. Seating and lunch provided.
The Community Safety Training Workshops focus on preparing individuals and communities for handling community safety concerns and situations. The learning objectives are rooted in Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and aim to supply participants with skills for approaching safety concerns and providing a safe space for the community. Learn more at https://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/articles/940-cst