Homelessness, 8th Street Pizza's move, Clean Socks Hope's mission and an addendum by Exit 0.

It's the building at 141 East Main Street, the former Liz at Home and more recently GrayStone Performance, located right across the street from the Reisz Mahal (new city hall). Let's dive right in. These links are to Facebook; the website is here.

Clean Socks Hope & 8th Street Pizza, in New Albany, IN, is the area's only pay-it-forward pizzeria serving serving Floyd, Harrison and Clark counties since 2007.

We are a nonprofit organization offering hand tossed pizzas, desserts, drinks, dine-in and carry out service, games and much more. Delivery available via DoorDash app. For your next pizza craving, visit Clean Socks Hope & 8th Street Pizza in New Albany.

Clean Socks Hope's mission is described here.

We believe that God created all people, including the poor with the ability to help themselves and others. That means that we do not fall into the routine perpetual feeding and clothing programs of those around us, but equip those we serve with the skills that will create self-worth and self-sufficiency that can change the lives of men, women and children for generations to come.

Yesterday our friend Andrew began spreading the word that 8th Street Pizza will be moving to 141 East Main Street.

8th Street Pizza is moving locations from midtown to downtown New Albany. Some businesses like Pints&union, Wick's New Albany, The Earl, and 1816 Modern Kitchen & Drinks have supported their mission of feeding the homeless in New Albany.

Now 8th Street Pizza has seen an influx of NEW homeless people in Downtown New Albany and really wants to help the downtown area. They are moving to 141 East Main Street. The focus will still be an outreach location but will also serve late-night New York Style Pizza by the slice.

Jeffrey S. Minton is the man behind Clean Socks Hope and 8th Street Pizza and wanted me to help spread the word to the new neighbors in downtown and I figured this would be one of the best methods.

The "Share a Slice" campaign has been a kick and they look to expand it by offering a "Share A Slice" Wall that anyone can donate to and take from. No questions asked...

If you haven't heard of the amazing nonprofit pizza place, then please take the time to get a piece of 8th Street Pizza soon. I'll even share a slice with you!

So far, so good. NA Confidential doesn't do Christianity, but we broadly support this pizza-driven outreach, and the building in question might conceivably be more than just a pizzeria; the building's most recent owner installed dorm rooms upstairs. When I saw them, I thought: youth hostel.

Interestingly, this is one of those infrequent times when food and social issues actively collide, because to put it bluntly, City Hall's stance on homelessness is as clear as alluvial mud -- not at all clean like white socks. Ronald Reagan famously avoided saying the word "AIDS" aloud; Jeff Gahan's bugaboo is the word "homelessness," as he doesn't communicate well and as a suburbanite generally avoids topics he finds personally distasteful.

It hasn't been very long (July) since Gahan's homeless encampment demolition debacle.

Exit 0's Paul Stensrud pulls zero punches v.v. Gahan's violence against the homeless: "In order for things to change there needs to be a change of hands within local government."

It appears that Jeff Gahan is as adept at co-opting the Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana as he has been in snookering Purported Progressives into hand-feeding him grapes. Gahan has picked a side he can control; if Dear Leader could bulldoze Exit Zero as a concept, then he'd do that, too.

Gahan is pathology, not policy.

Consequently, and eerily paralleling 8th Street Pizza's moving announcement, Exit 0 posted this commentary yesterday on Facebook.

We went scouting in New Albany today and found new signage to keep the homeless out of the town and several needles discarded off of a public trail. But the city continues to claim they do not have a drug addiction or homelsssness problem. Why make up signage and ban tents if we have no issue? Welcome to making homelessness illegal in New Albany. The needles were cleaned up so someone in the community does not get hurt. Continue to pray for our community.

NA Confidential supports Clean Socks Hope, 8th Street Pizza and Exit 0, and quite frankly, major league stones are required for anyone to set up a program of homeless outreach at a site directly across from the mayor's new showpiece City Hall.

This fascinating juxtaposition stands to be very interesting indeed, especially as we approach the election. Wouldn't it be good if Gahan chose to issue a public statement of support for what Clean Socks Hope and 8th Street Pizza is trying to do downtown?

Clean Socks Hope to NA Social: "There’d Be No Us, If Not for Them."

This is one of the nicest and most hopeful things I've read in a while. To learn about what Clean Socks Hope (8th Street Mission) and 8th Street Pizza are doing, go here.

You probably already know about NA Social, which is winding down: NA Social's about to be dead, so "Long Live NA Social."

It's a heckuva going-away testimonial from Clean Socks Hope. To Kelly and Beth: thank you, ladies.

There’d Be No Us, If Not for Them, by Jeff Minton (Clean Socks Hope; 29 April 2019)

There is certainly enough heartbreak to go around. I get to see it first hand every day. I see the cruelest acts and the most profound. On Sunday April 7, 2019 our friends Kelly and Beth wrote of their final chapter of their social media page New Albany Social. In a few days they’ll be gone.

What a shame, what an absolute shame.

We’ve done ministry for 11 years and beginning year 8 in New Albany and I can say without a doubt that there would be no us had it not been for a chance encounter with a mutual friend and an introduction to Kelly and Beth.

And because of Andrew Nicholson, a skateboarding throwback from the 1960’s, who loves eclectic and loves people he introduced us to the world and to Kelly and she did what she does and wrote about us.

We blew up.

We were in the newspaper, 3 local TV stations featured us, MSN picked up our story which caused a staffer on the nationally syndicated Bobby Bones show to talk about it and finally because of all that love they saw us in Cincinnati and the media group the hosts Louisville Pizza Week invited us to be part of that week.

We became legit. We have street cred all because a girl from the city loves her hometown and wrote about an extremely small idea to help feed the homeless. Pay it forward. Kelly and Beth have become the epitome of that concept.

In December, when our Midtown Christmas Store leadership realized that we were in the weeds we put a call out to Kelly and Beth and they along with others shopped—with their own money—and provided 80 hard working families Christmas. Their love impacted the lives of 241 adults from 4 counties in 2 states and 308 children! Thanks to their heart, 35 of you shopped, some multiple times and over 100 different families donated.

That one act of generosity created a “Love Thy Neighbor,” phenomenon this past Christmas that most social justice workers have never seen. #lovelocal

So, in closing, I just want to say that you both have become a light for us at 8thStreet and your impact and legacy will never be repeated. WE owe you.

You both are the women that we pray our sons will marry and the hope for our daughters to become.

My grandfather had a friend who was a famous politician that you both are probably too young to remember. He had a saying that I have used as my mantra most of my adult life.

It is simply, “I have been booed by bigger and better crowds.” I hope that spirit, that moxie stays with you always!

I don’t know who the hate mongers are who hide behind their little blue light screens and produce bile and hurt, but we love them anyway because Kelly, Beth and the socialites know that, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~John 1:5

Ladies, thank you for all you have done for us and this place we live and work. We love you. And PLEASE don’t go changing!

Jeff, Shelly and the entire 8thStreet Family

#lovelocal #neighborslovingneighbors #pizzaforgood #nasociallives

Midtown Street Fair and Music Festival is Saturday.

If memory and blog posts serve as viable evidence, the Midtown Neighborhood Festival began in 2008. It now is being called the Midtown Street Fair and Music Festival, and takes place on Saturday, September 19.

This year's synopsis is below. Requests for information are being directed to Clean Socks Hope, which appears to be the outgrowth of a Northside Christian ministry.

Clean Socks Hope, Inc. © 2007-2015 Midtown Ministries

Here's the overview.

Midtown Street Fair and Music Festival - Sept 19th

Celebrate the Midtown Street Fair in Ritter Park

8:00am: THE COLORDASH 5K—_the World’s Most Colorful _5K: Begins and ends at Cardinal Ritter Park 1218 E. Oak Street New Albany, IN 47150. Packet pickup: 8:00 AM Dash begins at: 10:00AM. A family-friendly, untimed 5K, who welcomes all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities. Start white (we provide the Tee), and at each kilometer add blue, sprinkle green, splash yellow, spray orange, and finish strong in pink. Benefits: Midtown Spirit Outdoor Classroom and Life Lab.

9:00am: REDEEM THE DREAM—_3 on 3 Basketball Clinic and Tournament_: Bring your best 3 players and help us mentor those less fortunate! T-shirts, trophies and awards.

10:00am: KIDTOWN will kick off at 10AM and is for children of all ages, Family Friendly Entertainment, Food, Games. _Sponsored by Midtown Commons and Midtown Ministries_—is a place for friends and neighbors to grab a coffee and begin meaningful conversations which lead to life-change at our café’. Our desire is for Christ-followers to help provide hope and encouragement to each person who comes to the café.

11:00am: The MIDTOWN STREET FAIR at the Corner of 13th & Oak St. in New Albany kicks off at 11AM This Free Event includes: Family Friendly Entertainment, Food, Games and Music. _Sponsored by St. John Presbyterian, Cardinal Ritter Birthplace Foundation and Home of the Innocents_

12:00pm: The HOPE MUSIC FESTIVAL kicks off at Noon and will bring focus through its music to our unique Midtown area of town, highlighting its diverse and full history, encourage the patronage of our businesses, and provide an experience we can all enjoy and participate in. We hope to expand on the successes of 2013 and 2014, and improve the overall experience for everyone by getting the surrounding neighborhoods and community organizations more involved. _Sponsored by Clean Socks Hope_.

This is an All Day Family Friendly Event with entertainment, food, games and music.

For additional information please visit http://www.cleansockshope.org/