Reindeer Days Dec. 7

Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos

Join local businesses for a day of family-friendly holiday fun, with crafts, food, storytime, and more at the 43rd and Upton intersection. Reindeer Day will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. After listening to your feedback last year, we have requested closure of this intersection during the event for safety and community building.

BRING DONATIONS TO LIBRARY
LHiNC is not hosting a coat drive this year, but the Linden Hills Library is a drop-off location for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Annual Cold Weather Donation Drive. This drive collects cold-weather items for those in need, including homeless and unsheltered individuals in Hennepin County.
Requested items include:
• New or gently used coats, hats, mittens, boots, and scarves
• New socks
• Disposable hand/foot warmers
Please do not donate used items that require extensive cleaning or repair. Drop off your donations at the Linden Hills Library through Feb. 28, 2025.

TOY AND FOOD DRIVE FOR WAITE HOUSE
This year’s Toy and Food Drive for Waite House will occur from Dec. 7 to 15.
We’re aiming to provide food and toys for 300 families (1,000 children) receiving support from Waite House. Wait House is a long-standing pillar of the vibrant Phillips Community in South Minneapolis.
This Toy and Food Drive is sponsored by Big Blue Box, St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Carondelet Catholic School, Jones Coffee, and the Linden Hills and Fulton Neighborhood Councils.

MAKE STOPLIGHT PERMENANT?
Neighbors have started a petition calling on local elected and appointed officials to make the temporary stoplight at the intersection of 39th Street & France Avenue a permanent fixture. More at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/39thStreetStoplight. 

NEW COORDINATOR
When Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos moved back to Minneapolis, she was looking for an outlet to share a love for local economies. She founded Coimatan, a think tank for local retail with that in mind and has most recently gotten involved with neighborhood organizations, coordinating for East Harriet and Linden Hills. She works at the intersection of social, environmental, and economic impact. Prior to starting Coimatan, Vasiliki was a part of startups, corporations, and venture capital firms leading marketing, procurement, strategy, and business development projects. Vasiliki is a B Leader certified by B Lab, the leading social organization for business and holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.