The Damiano Center hosted their Donna Howard Community Connect event on Thursday. The free community event is planned and carried out by partners from several community organizations including the Damiano Center, Loaves and Fishes, Safe Haven, Life House, St. Louis County, Salvation Army, Affordable Housing Coalition, and CHUM.

Community Connect offered a variety of services for guests to be able to access in the same place. The services included a hot meal, warrant resolution & driver diversion, hair trims, MN birth certificates, vaccines/shots/testing, STI testing, and each guest attending received a bag full of resources and supplies.

There were over 15 other organizations tabling and offering services at the event to provide even more resources to everyone that attended. Event organizer said that this event was made possible by generous donations from the Minnesota Power Foundation, Essentia, the Affordable Housing Coalition and Loaves & Fishes.