Over at  GOOD there is a post on a great initiative by Heads Up.  Check out:  Nonprofit Spotlight: Giving Providence’s Most Vulnerable a Head’s Up.

“Founded in 2000, HeadsUp (an acronym for “Health, Education, Arts Developing Strength, Unity and Peace”) was a grassroots effort focused on reaching downtown Providence, Rhode Island’s vulnerable populations, including those diagnosed as HIV-positive, at-risk children and families, and residents emerging from a low-income or homeless background.”

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“Feeding andhousing the homeless provide direct community-level support, but what makes HeadsUp stand out is a creative, fresh approach to programs, which stand true to the name of “Health, Education, and Arts.”

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“In addition to the cold weather shelter and hot meals, HeadsUp also hosts the Tenderloin Opera Company, a theater training program bringing together homeless, homeless advocates and members of the Brown University community; ArtsReach, arts and music classes for HIV-positive and others; and Harvest Kitchen, a 15-week culinary training program for at-risk youth that sources its produce from local growers.”

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“HeadsUp’s vision is to be “an oasis in the heart of downtown Providence” and operates with the understanding that food for the body is essential, but nourishing the mind and creative spirit are also a vital component to serving those in need.”