Meals N Wheels

12/31/2025

12/31/2025

Repost: City of St. Louis...
The City of St. Louis and its partners are opening emergency shelter beds Sunday at 6 p.m. through Tuesday at 9 a.m.

Walk-up shelter is available at the following locations:

North City:
Peter & Paul - Jugan Shelter (single men, single women, and family rooms)
3225 N. Florissant Ave.

Central City:
Biddle Housing Opportunities Center (single men only)
1212 N. 13th St.

South City:
Peter & Paul - Kingshighway Shelter (single men, single women. Not open during the daytime on Monday)
3205 S. Kingshighway Blvd.

Walk-ups are welcome from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., individuals seeking shelter must contact the United Way 211 Helpline by dialing 211.

Additional locations, including space for families, are available by appointment coordinated through the United Way 211 Helpline or by speaking with a coordinator at a rally point. If a walk-up shelter reaches capacity, transportation will be provided to another shelter with sufficient capacity.

Those seeking transportation to shelters can get picked up between 5 and 7 p.m. at the following rally point locations:

North City:
Urban League Women's Business Center
4401 Natural Bridge Ave.
Wellston Loop Community Development Corporation (new)
1522 Hodiamont Ave.

Central City:
Centenary United Methodist Church
1610 Olive St. (use the Pine Street entrance).

South City:
Loughborough Commons Parking Lot
1020 Loughborough Ave. (between Schnucks and Lowe’s)

Each rally point has either a warming bus or an indoor warming facility available, in addition to a Metro Call-A-Ride shuttle that transports individuals to shelter. Each shuttle is staffed with both a driver and an outreach worker.

If alternative transportation is required, contact the United Way 211 Helpline by dialing 211.

09/23/2025

05/26/2025

I want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who came out and supported our tornado relief cleanup effort. Your time, energy, and compassion made a powerful impact in a neighborhood that means so much to me—the very one I grew up in, now facing unimaginable devastation.

Thank you to the City of St. Louis for supplying us with the necessary tools and materials to get the job done. A huge thank you to the United Way of Greater St. Louis for providing more than enough volunteers—we couldn’t have done it without you! Gratitude also goes to Operation Brightside in partnership with the city, for your continued commitment to keeping our communities beautiful and strong.

Special thanks to Schnucks Market Place for keeping everyone hydrated and energized with water, snacks, and Gatorade. And to my beautiful Soror’s of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.—your sisterhood and service are unmatched. I’m so proud to stand beside you in love and service.

It was truly my honor to spearhead this community event. There’s no better feeling than giving back to the place that raised me. We have a long road ahead, but with unity and love, we will rebuild—stronger than ever.

05/20/2025

🚨 Volunteers Needed: Tornado Disaster Cleanup in North St. Louis 🚨

Our community needs YOU! In the wake of the recent tornado, many families in The Ville and surrounding areas of North St. Louis are dealing with severe damage and debris. In partnership with the City of St. Louis and the United Way, we’re organizing cleanup efforts to help our neighbors recover and rebuild — but we can’t do it without your help.

🧹 What We’re Doing:
Clearing debris, removing fallen trees, helping residents salvage belongings, and offering a helping hand where it's needed most.

📍 Where:
The Ville and other affected neighborhoods in North St. Louis.

🕘 When:
Sunday: 1pm - 4pm

💪 How You Can Help:
Bring gloves, rakes, trash bags, power tools (if you have them), and, most importantly, your heart to serve.

👉 Want to volunteer? Please fill out the form below so we can keep you updated and organized:
https://forms.gle/fhA2Ryz3EVGDe1yAA

👉 Know an area that hasn’t been reached yet? Drop the location in the comments or message us so we can make sure no one is left behind.

Let’s show up for our community. Together, we are stronger.

In the aftermath of the recent tornado, many families in The Ville and surrounding areas of North St. Louis are facing significant damage and need our help. We are calling on volunteers to join us for community cleanup efforts, in partnership with the City of St. Louis and the United Way, to assist....

12/05/2023

Happy National Volunteer Day ‼️ Thank you all for all your hard work with helping the less fortunate 🫶🏽

04/23/2023

We will not be silent about the unhoused!!! Check out my interview with PBS on the need for a long-term solution in the unhoused community

Missouri passed a law last year that made it a misdemeanor for an individual to sleep or camp out on land owned by the state. But advocates say the state government has not responded holistically to homelessness.

02/21/2023

(1/6) “When I was a junior in high school, I enlisted in the military. It was always going to be part of my story. My older cousin, a father figure in my life, was in the Marines. I also had family who served in the Navy. For part of my childhood, my mother was in prison, and when she got out of jail and came home, she had an institutionalized mentality, like she was locked away in jail. I resisted. I was angry at the world and making bad decisions. Recruiters would come to high school and one day I went to their table to talk to them. I told the guy, ‘I want to blow stuff up.’ And he responded, ‘You look like you need to.’ I signed up and he continued to build a relationship with my family, coming to the house every once and a while. My mom would even cook him dinner. To enlist, I had to take a test called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. I remember him coming over with my results saying I could be a cook or a truck driver. I was like, ‘No way.’ He told me,’ Well, you’ve got to study.’ So, I studied really hard and got a better score. My two options then were to do intelligence or be a military police officer. I chose the latter.”

Marna Coleman, Founder of Meals N Wheels

📷| Colleen O’Connell Smyth