Community Partners

Community First! Village

Community First! Village provides permanent housing and jobs to previously houseless individuals. They work to create a supportive environment for their residents, or neighbors, since they believe the primary cause of houselessess is the loss of community. The Walker Fellowship first contacted them when researching existing organizations around Austin that worked with houseless individuals. The community has been kind enough to invite us on multiple tours since, and each time, we have the privilege of speaking with the wonderful neighbors about what they believe makes their community complete. Since Spring 2022, we have had a blast conducting multiple Karaoke nights for the neighbors. To learn more about the Community First! Village, please check out their website.

H.O.M.E. Center

The H.O.M.E. Center in San Marcos was started by Hannah Durrance, who hoped to provide easier access to permanent housing for unhoused individuals in the San Marcos area. One of our previous cohort members worked with Hannah and found that such non-profits often need assistance with grant writing. The Walker Fellowship learned that graduate students in the School of Social Work are often specifically trained in grant writing and are searching for organizations to help with the grant writing process. While we were searching for such a student, we were very happy to hear that the H.O.M.E. center acquired a few grants themselves. We were still able to connect them with a few furniture pieces, such as file cabinets, from the UT Surplus Reuse Store, which offers free furniture to any approved organizations. To learn more about the H.O.M.E. center’s mission and how to help out, check out their website. To learn more about the UT Surplus Reuse Store, visit their website.

Casa Marianella

Casa Marianella offers housing, jobs, and legal support for displaced immigrants. They primarily provide resources to asylum seeking refugees from all around the world. One of our members found out about Casa Marianella while researching refugee services within Austin, and reached out to their team. Jennifer Long, the Director of Casa Marianella, kindly invited us to learn more about the services they provide. She has also facilitated discussions between the Walker Fellowship and residents, who shared their stories of finding Casa Marianella. We have volunteered with Casa Marianella on a few occasions since Fall 2021. Some service opportunities have included repainting one of the houses, and sorting clothes. To learn more about Casa Marianella, visit their website.

Mary Lee Foundation

The Mary Lee Foundation provides housing and assistance to adults with diverse needs. Their goal is to provide them with a sense of dignity and self-worth, as well as skills to socially integrate and contribute to their community. In the Fall of 2021, one of our members found out about the Mary Lee Foundation through a work-related service event, and reached out to their team. Autumn, one of the Mary Lee Foundation staff members, kindly invited us to learn more about the organization and assist residents with moving between the apartment complexes. Since then, the Walker Fellowship has volunteered on occasion to assist with spring cleaning and the moving process. The Mary Lee Foundation is always looking for volunteers - if you are interested in volunteering with them, or would like to learn more, check out their website.

Central Texas Food Bank

The Central Texas Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief charity within the Central Texas area. They collect food from retail organizations and other donors all over the country and redistribute it to families and nonprofits all over Texas. The Walker Fellowship first reached out to the Central Texas Food Bank in Fall of 2021 to learn more about their food redistribution process, and if a similar model could be implemented to reduce food waste within UT Campus. We have had the privilege of speaking with Dylan Driscoll, one of their Retail Food Coordinators, who shared his experience with working at the Food Bank and the process of partnering with new retailers. He also shared how we could speak with restaurants and the UT Housing and Dining team to involve them in the food redistribution process. To learn more about the Central Texas Food Bank, visit their website.