Sharing and Caring Hands

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Sharing and Caring Hands
Established1985; 40 years ago (1985)
FounderMary Jo Copeland
TypeNonprofit
36-3412619
PurposeProvide food and shelter for the homeless
Location
  • Minneapolis, Unites States
Coordinates44°59′01″N 93°16′56″W / 44.9835°N 93.2821°W / 44.9835; -93.2821
FundingPrivate donations
Staff26[1] (2023)
Volunteers3,000[1] (2023)
Websitesharingandcaringhands.org
525 N. 7th St.
Minneapolis, MN

Sharing and Caring Hands is a Minneapolis non-profit drop-in center dedicated to providing food, shelter, and clothing to the unhoused population of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. As of 2020, Sharing and Caring Hands was feeding some 700 to 800 persons daily. Mary's Place, a transitional housing complex, was opened in 1995.

History

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Founding

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Mary Jo Copeland, a Catholic mother of 12, began to volunteer at Catholic Charities after the entry of her youngest child into school.[2][3] However, feeling overwhelmed by paperwork and bureaucracy, she took matters into her own hands and brought food and clothing to those in need from the trunk of her car.[4][5] In 1985, she received a $2500 ($7,309 in 2024) grant from a local TV station.[4] Operations eventually began at 16 Glenwood Ave in Minneapolis.[6]

By 1987, some 500 people were fed daily, with 600 and 700 on the weekends, totaling more than 10,000 lunches each month.[6] Some 300 volunteers helped run the organization.[7] By 2020, 700 to 800 people per day were being fed at Sharing and Caring Hands.[2] Sharing and Caring Hands does not take government subsidies.[8]

Timberwolves and move to a new building

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In 1987, the City of Minneapolis sought to raze the building to make room for the Target Center, for the new NBA team of the Minnesota Timberwolves;[9][6] Copeland needed to raise $240,000 ($638,087 in 2024) by February 1988 to move to a new building two blocks away.[7] The press coverage from the incident would allow her to fundraise to fund the new location at 525 N. 7th St.[10][9][11]

Failed children's home

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In 2002, Sharing and Caring Hands purchased a 26-acre site off of Lone Oak Road and Minnesota State Highway 55 in the city of Eagan, Minnesota, with the intention of building a $30 million, 200-bed children's home to be called the Gift of Mary's Children's Home. Several other suburbs of the Twin Cities, including the city of Brooklyn Center,[12] were considered, but city officials rejected the plans; the city council and mayor of Eagan, however, were supportive.[13] Plans approved by the city council in a 4-1 decision in December 2002.[14] Plans for the facility were called off after sufficient donations were unable to be raised, Mary Jo Copeland blamed the inability to fundraise on the controversy around the topic.[15]

Target Field controversy

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Sharing and Caring Hands again was embroiled in controversy surrounding a sports stadium in 2008, when the newly built Target Field's proximity to the center raised concerns about the site's security and drug offenses happening on the site. The City of Minneapolis considered not renewing the license of Sharing and Caring Hands; seventeen arrests had been made at Sharing and Caring Hands in 2006 for drug offenses.[16]

Mary's Place

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Mary's Place, a transitional housing complex, opened in 1995.[17] In 2016, a $5 million ($6.63 million in 2024), 10,000 square-foot expansion project added space for a youth center and more temporary housing. Eight apartments were added to the 92 already-present residential units.[18] By 2020, its 100 units could house 600 to 700 parents and children.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Return of organization exempt from income tax 2023: Sharing and Caring Hands (PDF) (Form 990). October 15, 2016. EIN 363412619. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Furst, Randy (April 5, 2020). "Dick Copeland, who helped his wife, Mary Jo, in her programs for the poor, dies". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  3. ^ Diaz, Kevin; French, Rose (February 15, 2013). "Mary Jo Copeland receives presidential medal". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Cass, Dennis (July 21, 2002). "She Walks Through Walls". The New York Times Magazine. p. 36. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  5. ^ Callahan, Tom. "'When I See People In Need, I See A Mirror Of Myself'". Parade Magazine. Pioneer Press. pp. 20–22.
  6. ^ a b c Smith, Robert T. (July 26, 1987). "A caring ministry must move because of NBA stadium". Star Tribune. p. 10B. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Kaszuba, Mike (November 26, 1987). "Center that feeds homeless faces a tenuous future". Star Tribune. p. 13B – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Diaz, Kevin (February 2, 2001). "Copeland's story strikes chord in D.C." Star Tribune. pp. A1, A18. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Grow, Doug (May 7, 1993). "Sharing and caring woman folds her hands in prayer". Star Tribune. p. 3B. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Thorkelson, Willmar (October 12, 1991). "Woman shared life at homeless shelter". Rochester Post-Bulletin. p. 7D. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Zyskowski, Bob (November 10, 1994). "Come take cook's tour of Sharing and Caring Hands". The Catholic Bulletin. Vol. 84, no. 45. pp. 1, 3.
  12. ^ Hopfensperger, Jean (May 7, 2000). "Mayor says proposed location isn't 'set up' for residential use". Star Tribune. pp. B1, B7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Charity to buy site in Eagan". The Austin Daily Herald. March 19, 2002. p. 13. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Eagan OKs plan for children's home". St. Cloud Times. Associated Press. December 19, 2002. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Peterson, David (July 23, 2008). "Copeland: Controversy has ended plans for Eagan children's home -- for now". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018.
  16. ^ Brandt, Steve (April 11, 2008). "Homers vs. Homeless?". Star Tribune. pp. B1, B7. Retrieved August 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "At 81, there's no slowing down for Sharing and Caring Hands' Mary Jo Copeland". CBS News. March 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  18. ^ Lee, Jessica (April 24, 2015). "Sharing and Caring Hands shelter razed for new facility". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2025.