Art by Nelle Rhicard at reframeideas.com.

Food insecurity, housing insecurity, poverty and social justice are intertwined, a knot of problems facing our community. Thirteen percent of Duluthians face food insecurity, and more than 54 percent of renter-households are rent burdened. Often these difficult social problems are addressed by nonprofit organizations that run food pantries or housing shelters. The organization’s workers build affordable housing and support people living on the street. While these workers are heroes, they are also human, and their stories are also intertwined with larger issues like poverty and social justice. These frontline workers are also often former college students who enter the job market with the consequential task of supporting those who others have left behind.

A group of University of Minnesota Duluth faculty, students and community artists came together to explore strategies to communicate the stories of these workers.

UMD students met Tiffany Fenner, a community activist with First Ladies of the Hillside in Duluth.

UMD students in geography and in cultural entrepreneurship have a long partnership with the First Ladies of the Hillside. Together, they are working to both bring food and bring change to Duluth communities.

Learn more about the First Ladies of the Hillside at news.d.umn.edu.

Learn more about this project at z.umn.edu/unsungheroes or sites.google.com/view/umd-unsungheroes.