Advent—The season of Hope. The season in which we celebrate the “Already not yet” of our faith. God has already broken into the world, and yet, we await God’s breaking into the world over and over again. At FedUp Ministries, we feel this tension every day—we see glimpses of God’s presence in shared meals, warm conversations, and neighbors caring for one another, even as we long for a world where everyone is fed, welcomed, and held in abundance.

In this season, we lean into hope with our whole selves, trusting that God continues to show up in the ordinary and the unexpected. Advent invites us to slow down, pay attention, and make room—again and again—for God’s love to take flesh among us.

This is Maddie's last week at FedUp before transitioning into a new position with the Blavin Scholars program at the University of Michigan. We are so grateful to have had Maddie on our team! From your start as an MSW intern to becoming our first Director of Programs, thank you so much for all your contributions to FedUp and for your unwavering commitment to our community. Your presence will be dearly missed! Please join us in wishing Maddie all the best as she enters this new chapter.

FedUp's Increased Meal Production!

To meet the needs of our community during the government shutdown and uncertain future of SNAP benefits at the end of October, FedUp doubled, even tripled, our meal service output throughout November. Thank you to those on the FedUp team and volunteers who stepped up during this time to support our community and programming! Above is a reminder of our winter programming schedule. We’d love to see you there!

Program Schedule Update

For the holidays, FedUp's last service of the year will be Wednesday, December 24th for our LiftUp meal and worship. Programming will be taking a pause from then until Tuesday, January 6th. 

In partnership with Peace House Ypsi, FedUp launched a new pilot program at the beginning of November that aims to close the gap between food needs and food access within our community by connecting neighbors with food needs to allies who have resources to share and are willing to help. Within this first cycle, we have 6 active matches and are still looking for more allies. Please reach out if you have any questions, or are interested in involvement in the program!

On November 15th, Pastor Anna, Maddie, and Tiffany gathered for the quarterly Synod Council Presentation, where they had the opportunity to speak about the work FedUp does and get Lutherans within the SEMI Synod hype about our work! Additionally, the Synod Council voted to extend Pastor Anna’s call for two more years!!

On November 19th, Pastor Anna and Maddie presented for a variety of helpers and organizations within Barrier Busters, a Washtenaw County collective of more than 100 social service agencies committed to improving services and responding to emergencies for Washtenaw County residents in need. It was a joy to get to spread the word on the services FedUp provides to our community!

Miss our sweet treats and want them more often? Now you can try some of our beloved items at Vertex in both Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti! We are so grateful and excited to be working with the wonderful team at Vertex as our first vendor partner. More is to come!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, 

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Every donation allows us to serve more delicious meals, provide free shower and laundry services, and continue to support our community. Thank you all for your contributions to FedUp.

Sign up for our Volunteer Newsletter below to get updates on upcoming opportunities where you can help FedUp continue the work we do. 

The holiday season can be a time of hardship for many. Below are some community resources for you or those in your community during this season.

• Peace Neighborhood Center Holiday Toy Distribution
• Food Gatherers Holiday Meals and Distribution
• Call “211” from any phone to access the The United Way resource directory to get the holiday assistance you or community members need.

We at FedUp wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!