UP Initiative of Madison County

04/07/2026

IT’S OFFICIAL 🎉
HB 281 was signed into law—and everything just changed for UP!

We can now accept home-cooked meals from our community. No commercial kitchen. No restaurant purchases. Just neighbors showing up for neighbors.

This is something we’ve been waiting on for a long time. And now… we get to continue building something really special.

Sign up today to bring a meal: https://mealtrain.com/zzg6ed

03/27/2026

🔥 It’s happening RIGHT NOW, Berea! 🔥

The room is PACKED and the energy is incredible at TURN IT UP! — a benefit concert + fundraiser supporting UP Initiative and the movement for liberation from mass incarceration.

Music is flowing, community is showing UP, and there’s still time to join us! We’ll be here rocking until 10PM tonight 🎶

📍 Rebel Rebel – 440 Chestnut Street
⏰ Happening NOW through 10PM

Come be part of something powerful. Come love your neighbors. Come TURN IT UP.

03/23/2026

In deep collaboration for liberation from mass incarceration, Abolition Now! + Let's Get Free Women and Trans Prisoner Defense Committee + Rebel Rebel Studio & Lounge proudly present TURN IT UP! A Benefit Show for the UP Initiative of Madison County.

The UP Initiative works on the front lines to keep our community safe and cared for by battling food insecurity and fostering dignity amongst Bereans who are experiencing housing instability and homelessness.

All are welcome to come and be a part of Berea's vibrant community of compassionate neighbors and TURN IT UP for the UP!

Doors @ 6pm
Show @ 7pm

Sliding scale donation at the door, nobody turned away for lack of funds (100% of proceeds to UP):
$0 for any and all people experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, poverty
$5 for students
$5-$20+ everybody else (if you have a stable income and/or know where your next meal is coming from, this is you!)

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Berea College Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS)

02/15/2026

It’s Sunday and it’s raining. There is no transportation on the weekends. Gas stations make them leave, the library doesn’t open until 1, and Walmart won’t allow them to stay.

Everything they own has to be packed with them and will get soaked. So where do they go?

This morning, as with many days, UP stepped UP. We were there before 9 a.m. transporting people and opening the drop-in center so they could be dry and inside. Our board members changed their Sunday plans with family so our community was cared for because there is no other place in town.

We are exhausted — but we are not quitting.
If you’ve been waiting for a moment to help, this is it. We need:
❤️ Volunteers
❤️ Monthly donors
❤️ Emergency gifts to keep the lights on and the van running

‼️ Because if we don’t open the doors, there is nowhere else for them to go. ‼️

👉 If you believe people deserve a place to be when it’s raining…
👉 If you believe Sunday shouldn’t mean abandonment…
👉 If you believe our neighbors deserve better…
Help us keep stepping UP.

💳 PayPal: Paypal.me/UPInitiative
💛 Venmo:
📱 Text-to-Give: GIVE2UP to 53-555
Mail: 1315 Gabbardtown Rd, Berea

01/30/2026

This morning started before sunrise, with ice still locked onto everything.

A collage of what today looks like: motel rooms where people slept, Gabbardtown Road glazed over, tires sliding in our icy driveway, and a stop at the hospital so a guest could make a much-needed appointment. Another neighbor needed to be at the center before 8 a.m. for a required check-in that keeps him in good standing — the kind of appointment you don’t miss, no matter the weather.

Rides began at 7:30 a.m. and wrapped up around 9:45 a.m. Two cars (huge thanks to Bobbijo), 19 individuals, and a few very good dogs.

Some folks are craving caffeine, others ni****ne. Everyone is cold. Everyone is stressed about the weather. Everyone is trying to hold it together.

This is what harm reduction and community care look like in real time — not perfect, not pretty, but steady. We move people where they need to go so life doesn’t unravel just because the roads are ice.

And when rides are done, the work continues. We still need to get to the store, buy supplies, and prepare hundreds of food bags for the weekend. We also need to make sure the warming center remains open for neighbors who have nowhere else to go during this stretch of dangerous weather.
We will keep showing up. But we can’t do it alone.

How to help NOW:
💛 PayPal: Paypal.me/UPInitiative
💛 Venmo:
💛 Text-to-Give: Text GIVE2UP to 53-555
💛 Mail a check: 1315 Gabbardtown Rd, Berea

Gas, food, time, and supplies add up fast during weather like this. If you’re able to give, share, or step in, it truly matters.

This is care held together with duct tape and compassion.
And this morning — and this weekend — it’s getting people through.

01/29/2026

After sharing what was happening on the ground here in Berea, LEX 18 News showed UP and spent time with us at the center. They listened, asked thoughtful questions, and told the story with accuracy and care — at a moment when that matters deeply.

This coverage reflects the reality many of our neighbors are facing right now: dangerous freezing temperatures, limited transportation, and very few publicly funded options for staying warm during the day.

UP opened as a warming center during conditions that are still unsafe and still ongoing. We are doing this work without city or county funding, operating month to month, because people cannot wait for perfect systems when they are cold now.

We are especially grateful to Zac, to our volunteers, and to the neighbors who are sheltered here — many of whom are also pitching in to help clear ice, manage access to the center, and care for one another.

We’re sharing this coverage not for praise, but for clarity. Public awareness helps keep people safe. It helps communities understand what’s happening — and what it takes to respond.

📰 Read and watch the LEX 18 story here:
https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/up-initiative-opens-warming-center-during-dangerous-freezing-temperatures-in-berea

If this story moved you, here are concrete ways to help right now:
• A gift of $20 can help cover gas for transportation
• Ten to twenty $10 gifts help provide meals during extreme weather
• A monthly recurring donation helps ensure UP can respond the next time — without scrambling

Do you have a vehicle and the ability to help with rides during icy conditions? Message us — we’ll connect you with the volunteer coordinating transportation.

This is what emergency response looks like when it’s held together with duct tape and compassion — and made possible by neighbors showing up for neighbors.

We will keep showing up. We need your support to keep doing so.

We can weather this together.

To donate now:
💛 PayPal: Paypal.me/UPInitiative
💛 Venmo:
💛 Text-to-Give: Text GIVE2UP to 53-555
💛 Mail a check: 1315 Gabbardtown Rd, Berea

The UP Initiative in Berea has worked tirelessly to provide shelter and food to those experiencing homelessness during dangerous freezing temperatures, despite treacherous icy conditions.

01/28/2026

Tonight was one of those moments where you see exactly how thin the safety net really is.

Because of the extreme weather we’ve experienced and what’s still coming this week here in Berea, nearly 100 people have been staying in motel rooms through RITI since last Friday. Tomorrow morning, the round-the-clock stays end, and early morning check-outs will resume.

That means nearly 100 of our neighbors will face the day — on icy roads, with limited transportation, and very few places open for warmth during the day.

Tonight, we heard from people who were unable to leave the motels and who had not been able to access the UP Initiative food bags during the storm. Some shared that they were still hungry after dinner. So we made a quick store run and delivered essentials. When our neighbors are hungry, we show up.

Tomorrow morning, UP will be open as a warming space. But here’s the hard truth:
• Roads are ice
• Public transit does not bring people to our center
• Transportation will fall on one volunteer, making multiple trips.

The very neighbors we shelter and protect will be out early, helping clear and manage our icy driveway so the center can open. We’re humbled by this generous contribution.

Today alone, we spent $360.83 to ensure people can eat tomorrow. UP operates on a shoestring budget. We survive month to month. We have not received city or county funding or emergency support for this work.

We’re sharing this not for praise, but for clarity. This is what emergency response looks like when community steps in where systems fall short.

Public services should be funded with public dollars. But neighbors helping neighbors must happen either way.

If you’re able to help — by contributing toward food costs, offering transportation help, or simply sharing this so others understand what’s happening in our town right now — it truly matters.

This is what it looks like when care is held together with duct tape and compassion. Maybe this is a good, old-fashioned Kentucky way that we operate.

We will keep showing UP. We need your support to make sure the warming center program during this weather is here for our neighbors. Will you pitch in today?

A gift of at least $20 can cover gas for rides. Twenty gifts of at least $10 will help us provide a nourishing lunch for tomorrow.

Do you have a vehicle and you can help provide some rides in the morning? Message us and we will connect you with the volunteer coordinating rides.

Will you consider making your gift a monthly recurring donation?

We can weather the storm together.

Here's how you can help UP now:
💛 PayPal: Paypal.me/UPInitiative
💛 Venmo:
💛 Text-to-Give: Text GIVE2UP to 53-555
💛 Mail a check: 1315 Gabbardtown Rd, Berea

01/25/2026

Since all our neighbors are safe and warm during this storm, UP's warming center will be operating on an as-needed basis for Sunday, 1/25 and Monday, 1/26.

While we want to ensure the safety of our volunteers, we don’t want anyone in the cold!

Please message UP if you need a warm place to be. Our volunteers will work to find a warm place to you, opening our warming center if necessary.

Stay warm, folks, and don't forget to check on your neighbors ❤️

01/24/2026

As the winter storm moves in, we want to give a huge shout-out to Room In The Inn Berea for the incredible work they’re doing right now. They’ve housed nearly all of our neighbors who needed a warm, safe place, and that effort deserves to be recognized.

We’re proud to stand alongside them and so grateful for how hard they’re showing up for our community during this stretch. This is what it looks like when organizations come together to take care of our neighbors.

At this time, everyone is sheltered, so OUR WARMING CENTER WILL REMAIN ON STANDBY. If a need arises, we are ready and willing to open. Please don’t hesitate to message us so we can make a plan together.

Thank you, RITI, for doing the work when it matters most. 💙

01/23/2026

Our friends at Madison Home, Inc. said it best:

This incoming storm with the single-digit and below-zero temperatures that will follow create a set up for suffering and potential tragedy.

Check on your neighbors.

Even folks who may be housed could have had their utilities shut off or they may lose power or have frozen pipes if we end up with the snow and ice they’re calling for.

There are people who were waiting for their next check to pay bills and buy groceries who don’t have the money right now.

There are families with children who rely on school-provided meals that won’t be available if the weather forces schools tonreamin closed.

There are workers who will lose gigs and shifts for days because of the storm—they will not earn the money they expected and needed next week.

Winter is already hard, and the next 10 days may be unbearable for our vulnerable neighbors.

Be a light; be a good neighbor; check on your people near and far, blood or not.

We’d be grateful for volunteers and donations as we know our numbers will grow!

Thank you.

This incoming storm with the single-digit and below-zero temperatures that will follow create a set up for suffering and potential tragedy.

Check on your neighbors.

Even folks who may be housed could have had their utilities shut off or they may lose power or have frozen pipes if we end up with the snow and ice they’re calling for.

There are people who were waiting for their next check to pay bills and buy groceries who don’t have the money right now to “stock up.”

There are families with children who rely on school-provided meals that won’t be available if the weather forces schools to remain closed.

There are workers who will lose gigs and shifts for days because of the storm—they will not earn the money they expected and needed next week.

Winter is already hard, and the next 10 days may be unbearable for our vulnerable neighbors.

Be a light; be a good neighbor; check on your people near and far, blood or not.

We’d be grateful for volunteers (we will need snow/ice removal) and donations as we know pur numbers will increase tremendously.

Thank you!

12/18/2025

🧡 Every name on this list matters.

Every neighbor still waiting to be sponsored is facing winter without stable housing.
All are homeless.
All are in need.
All need essential winter supplies.

This isn’t about extras or nice-to-haves. It’s about coats, warm layers, socks, and gear that make cold nights survivable.

Some neighbors have already been adopted — and we are so grateful.
But many are still waiting, and we urgently need sponsors today to make sure no one is left without what they need this winter.

🎁 Sponsorship includes:
• A full outfit
• Winter gear
• 1–2 wishlist items
• $100 max (gently used items welcome)

👉 Sponsor a neighbor here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA9AE2EA7FEC61-60032133-adopt

💸 Financial sponsorships are also available and are critical for covering neighbors without exact lists.

Winter doesn’t wait — and neither can we.
Help us make sure every neighbor is warm. 💛

12/12/2025

We’ve been running behind — not because this isn’t important, but because sometimes DOING the work leaves less time to talk about it.

So here we are, asking plainly: Please help us make sure every neighbor is adopted this winter.

Our Adopt-a-Neighbor sign-up is live and due December 20th.
🎁 Full outfit + winter gear
🎁 1–2 wishlist items
💲 $100 max
♻️ Gently used items welcome

👉 All info + sign-up is here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA9AE2EA7FEC61-60032133-adopt
You can choose who you’d like to adopt right there. (More will be added in the coming week!)

💸 Financial sponsorships are also available on the site — these help cover neighbors who don’t have specific lists and ensure everyone receives what they need.

Each neighbor deserves to feel seen, warm, and cared for this winter. If you’re able, please consider signing UP today.