Meet Jasmine Hites and Brian Walsh! Outside of her role as Senior Counsel at Avangrid Renewables, Jasmine is proud to support her community in serving on the Board of Directors of Rahab’s Sisters. Brian, Avangrid Renewables’ Director of Business Development, chose to nominate Rahab’s Sisters after being inspired by their mission and the powerful testimony of fellow community members.

Led by outgoing Executive Director Anneliese Davis, Rahab’s Sisters creates community through radical hospitality with those marginalized by poverty, homelessness, sex work, violence or substance use. On a typical Friday, Rahab’s Sisters would open its doors to anyone who identifies as a woman, or whose gender identity makes them vulnerable. All are encouraged to come as they are to share a homemade meal and come together in activities, conversation, and human connection.

But as COVID-19 emerged and those Fridays became less typical, Rahab’s Sisters was faced with an unprecedented challenge: how do you create community when your community can’t be together?

Supported by the #AVANgives grant, Rahab’s was able to successfully shift their operations to a virtual and socially distanced environment – maintaining their signature Friday night dinners by making them takeout, distributing basic supplies for those in need, checking in with guests via text, providing mental health support, and more.

With the pandemic has come complex challenges, which can oftentimes feel overwhelming. But as Jasmine says, sometimes the solution simply starts with making dinner, with checking in, with simply being there. Now more than ever, Rahab’s Sisters is a testimony to small actions creating huge impact.