Trellus

Between the headlines and the headwinds, 2025 challenged us all to dig deep and find our footing. But as we get ready to turn the page, there is one thing we shouldn't carry with us into the new year: Misinformation. At Trellus, we know that resilience is built on reality, not rhetoric. So, before we toast to new beginnings, let’s honor the actual contributions of our immigrant neighbors that helped keep this country running this year. Let’s replace the fiction with the figures: 📉 The Debt: While the myth says "drain," the math says $900 Billion in projected federal deficit reduction thanks to immigration. 🏗️ The Work: Immigrants aren't taking opportunity; they are creating it, making up 19.2% of the workforce that drives our GDP. 🤝 The Community: From paying billions in taxes to passing rigorous safety screenings, the commitment to this country is real. Here is to entering 2026 with clear eyes, open hearts, and the facts on our side. 🥂✨ Learn more about our Resilience Fund: https://lnkd.in/ejMfJnXm #TrellusResilienceFund #RealTalk #YearInReview #FactsOverFear #Immigration #NewYear2026 #CommunityStrength

#ThrowbackThursday to a night filled with stories, smiles, and family connection. On November 13th, Trellus Adult Education brought together more than 60 English language learners and their children for our annual Family Reading Night. Families picked out free books, played bingo, won raffle prizes, and shared the joy of reading together — a reminder of how powerful literacy can be in building confidence, community, and hope. #familyliteracy #adulteducation #lovereading #reading #books #trellus

Last week, our Thankful Thursday funding drive broke records, raising our matching goal of $5,000 in the first few hours.  That means over $10,000 going directly towards immigrant and refugee families in Chicago to access food, shelter, and safety–all thanks to our compassionate community of supporters, and our generous sponsors at Impact Networking, LLC.  Our partners at Impact Networking, LLC were so impressed that they’ve decided to up the ante, pledging an additional matching fund for donations up to $10,000 from now through the end of the calendar year.  If you missed your chance to give last week, or are just learning about our Resilience Fund now, it’s not too late to double your impact and contribute to the remarkable momentum we are building.  Every day, the world is changed through the actions of individuals.  When you step up and chip in, your voice shines through, telling struggling families that you see them, you support them, and you want to see them thrive.  Thank you to those who have already decided to stand up and show their compassion.  You are true agents of change, and we are honored to have you in our community. A special ‘thank you’ also goes out to Impact Networking for their ongoing support.  If you’re ready to join the fight to protect vulnerable children and hard-working families, please visit https://lnkd.in/gZ3J--Uy to make your matching gift today.  #TrellusResilienceFund #ThankfulThursday #CommunitySupport #ChicagoCares #EndHomelessness #FoodSecurity #HealthcareAccess #ImmigrantRights #SupportFamilies #MakeADifference

Meet Hayma. Her Family Needs Your Help This Thankful Thursday. This #ThankfulThursday, we want to share a moving and  urgent story from our community that highlights the critical need for our Resilience Fund. Meet Hayma, a courageous single mother who arrived in Chicago two years ago with her three young children (ages 10, 7, and 1), seeking life-saving medical care for her 10-year-old who needs dialysis. Hayma's story is one of unimaginable strength, but also of a system failing those most vulnerable. In the past month, her family has faced a devastating cascade of challenges: • No Food: Her SNAP benefits, which typically arrive on the 5th of each month, haven't been replenished since September. They received nothing for October, leaving her struggling to feed her children. • No Cash: Her TANF cash assistance has also been delayed, leaving her with no financial safety net. • No Healthcare: Due to an expired Medicaid, her 10-year-old child can no longer receive crucial dialysis treatments at the hospital. • No Home: Hayma is 6 months behind on rent, and facing imminent eviction due to an inability to pay. Hayma wants to work, but she can not pursue employment when her children are hungry, sick, and potentially homeless. Food and shelter are basic human rights, and without them, building a resilient future is impossible. This is where Trellus steps in, and where you can make an immediate, tangible difference. Our Resilience Fund is designed to provide direct, temporary support for families like Hayma's – gas cards, food vouchers, and rent assistance – lifting the immediate burden so they can focus on regaining stability and building self-sufficiency. This Thankful Thursday, please consider donating to the Trellus Resilience Fund. Your support ensures that families like Hayma's get the momentum they need to overcome these overwhelming challenges and build a brighter future. Click the link https://lnkd.in/ejMfJnXm to donate now and help Hayma and other Chicago families find their path to resilience. #TrellusResilienceFund #ThankfulThursday #CommunitySupport #ChicagoCares #EndHomelessness #FoodSecurity #HealthcareAccess #ImmigrantRights #SupportFamilies #MakeADifference ***In order to ensure the privacy and safety of our constituents, names and minor details have been revised for anonymity purposes.***

Thankful Thursday is TOMORROW!  Did you know that some families in Illinois receive as little as $80 per month in SNAP benefits?   With the average meal in IL costing $3.98, that’s not even enough to feed a family of four  for 5 days.  At Trellus, food insecurity is just one of many obstacles facing families in our community.  With cost-of-living on the rise and decreased access to social services, migrants and refugees are faced with impossible choices every day like the choosing between paying rent and putting food on the table, or between paying the electric bill and paying for life-saving medicine. Thanks to a generous corporate sponsor, when you give to Trellus’ Resilience Fund on Thankful Thursday, your donation will be matched and passed along directly to a family in need.  A gift of just $250 could feed a family of 4 for more than a week, or ensure a struggling single parent can get to and from work for a month.  When we remove the obstacles of basic human need, the impossible becomes possible.  When people don’t need to fight to survive today, they can plan for tomorrow.  They can build self reliance.  They can thrive.  That’s what resilience means at Trellus.  If you believe every child deserves a warm place to sleep and access to food and education, support the Resilience Fund.  If you support immigrants and refugees building self sufficiency through legal gainful employment, support the Resilience Fund.  If you feel a sense of responsibility to help your most vulnerable neighbors, support the Resilience Fund.  Let tomorrow be a day when you can fall asleep knowing you are part of the solution. #ThankfulThursday #TrellusChicago #ResilienceFund #SupportFamilies #CommunityImpact #EndFoodInsecurity #HousingStability #FeedTheHungry #StandWithFamilies #MutualAid #ChicagoCommunity #NonprofitSupport #GiveBackChicago

What is the Trellus Resilience Fund?  It’s a safety net built by community, for community–a rapid response resource that provides direct assistance to mitigate the growing challenges immigrant and refugee families face every day. Across Chicago, families are being stretched beyond their limits. With long delays in receiving benefits like SNAP, a drastic increase in healthcare costs on the horizon, and increasingly limited access to other forms of public assistance, even the basics like food and shelter are slipping out of reach. At the same time, heightened ICE activity and shifting political pressures have created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty that touches nearly every part of daily life. Resilience doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some, it’s holding onto housing or finding consistent work; for others, it’s ensuring that there’s food on the table or enough gas in their car to get their kids to school or the doctor. Just as we always have, Trellus meets people where they are, supporting them at their greatest point of need. Through the Resilience Fund, we can provide immediate, practical help like food and gas gift cards, rental or utility assistance, warm clothing, and other essentials to hundreds of families in need so that they can continue to build stability and strength in uncertain times. To Learn More about the Resilience Fund: https://lnkd.in/ejMfJnXm #ThankfulThursday #TrellusChicago #ResilienceFund #SupportFamilies #CommunityImpact #EndFoodInsecurity #HousingStability #FeedTheHungry #StandWithFamilies #MutualAid #ChicagoCommunity #NonprofitSupport #GiveBackChicago

Next week on November 20th, Trellus celebrates Thankful Thursday: our annual 24-hour funding drive to support Chicago families struggling with unprecedented food and housing insecurity.  As social services fall under increasing threat of severe reduction, delay, and dissolution, immigrant and migrant families are more and more vulnerable to loss of housing, employment, and access to nutritious food.  That’s why we founded the Trellus Resilience Fund: a direct action fund that steps in and provides assistance when other support systems are unavailable or insufficient.  Your gift this Thankful Thursday won’t sit stagnant.  It won’t fund a marketing campaign, or a board retreat, or a gala.  It will go directly to a family in need to provide food, access to transportation, and housing security because without these basic human needs, nobody stands a chance at building self-reliance, raising resilient children, or contributing to a healthier world. On November 20th, thanks to a generous donor, all donations up to $5,000 will be matched–which means your impact is doubled.  The easiest way to take a stand for those most vulnerable in our shared community is to step up, and ask “If not me, then who?” Our community has always shown up for one another — feeding the hungry, providing safety, and supporting hard-working families. This Thankful Thursday, let’s show up and support our community. Save the date and take a stand for resilience! #ThankfulThursday #TrellusChicago #ResilienceFund #SupportFamilies #CommunityImpact #EndFoodInsecurity #HousingStability #FeedTheHungry #StandWithFamilies #MutualAid #ChicagoCommunity #NonprofitSupport #GiveBackChicago

✨ Throwback to Beyond Books 2025! ✨ We’re still feeling the energy from an incredible evening celebrating connection, creativity, and community impact. A huge congratulations once again to our outstanding award winners — Kyla Williams Tate of Cook County Digital Equity, Shannon Distel of Trellus, and Maty N. from PODER & Oprima-1 LLC 🌟 #Trellus #BeyondBooks #CommunityImpact #DigitalEquity #TrellusEvents #ThrowbackThursday

We recently wrapped up an inspiring program exploring stress-reduction strategies to strengthen employment readiness well-being in low-income communities. By integrating fitness trackers and AI-driven tools, we learned about how technology can enhance holistic growth by helping individuals build healthier habits, manage stress more effectively, and create stronger pathways to employment. This work underscores the promise of combining community-based programs with innovative technologies to advance equitable, sustainable outcomes for all. A heartfelt thank-you to our incredible partners and collaborators who made this possible: George K. Thiruvathukal • Maddie Juarez • Kristen Ravi, Ph.D, LMSW • Maria Vidal de Hames • Danny Olweean Special thanks also goes out to Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University Chicago and Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, whose CHOIR program supported this important research! Here’s to continued collaboration at the intersection of technology, community, and well-being. #Mytrellus #trellus #CommunityResearch #AIForGood #Wellbeing #EmploymentReadiness #DigitalTools #Tech4Good #MentalHealth #CommunityImpact

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Early detection saves lives. Knowing your body, staying up to date on screenings, and supporting one another makes a difference. Join us in spreading awareness and encouraging loved ones to schedule their mammogram. Together, we can fight breast cancer. If you need resources for free or low-cost breast health screenings, please contact csavino@mytrellus.org or visit us in the community at 2424 W. Peterson Ave for more information. #BreastCancerAwareness #EarlyDetection #CommunityCare