Newport This Week

Conversation with Heather Strout



Anyone who would like to take a tour can contact Heather Strout, she loves giving others the opportunity to see firsthand the impact the Center makes on so many. (Photo by Lynne Tungett)

Anyone who would like to take a tour can contact Heather Strout, she loves giving others the opportunity to see firsthand the impact the Center makes on so many. (Photo by Lynne Tungett)

In the current economic climate, financial, physical or social support can sometimes seem nonexistent. Since 1922, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center has provided residents of Newport County a place where they can get the support they need. In 2016, Heather Hole Strout began working with the Center as assistant executive director. In her role as executive director, she’s continuing to foster community relations and to improve the Center’s longstanding function as a safe and nurturing place.

How were you connected with the MLK prior to becoming executive director? I was born and raised in Newport and always looked up to the Center as a place for hope and help. This place feels like home to me, and it is my goal to make sure it feels that way to every person who walks through the doors, whether it is a volunteer, employee, client or donor.

What have been some of your biggest challenges and greatest moments since taking the helm? Greatest moments happen almost every day here. Running into people that I went to Rogers High School with, who walk through the doors to get or give support, always brightens my day. To have a job where you see hope in the world and can give back to the community that has given me so much is the greatest gift.

Visit MLKCCenter.org or follow social media @MLK to learn more about MLK programming, initiatives, and ways to help. (Photo by Lynne Tungett)

Visit MLKCCenter.org or follow social media @MLK to learn more about MLK programming, initiatives, and ways to help. (Photo by Lynne Tungett)

The three biggest challenges that I have encountered are the gas outage crisis, the growing demand for hunger services in our community, and the need for additional funding for low income families to pay for preschool, after-school, and summer camp programs. Food prices have skyrocketed and so have the number of people in the community who need our help. Finding ways to help these families afford these essential programs so that they can work to support their family, while being assured their children are in a safe, enriching, and nurturing environment, is so important to me.

The MLK’s mission statement is to fight hunger, promote health, educate the young, support families and engage seniors throughout Newport County. What are some examples of how the Center accomplishes these goals? Our education programs for children in Newport County offer academic, social and emotional enrichment that helps build a strong foundation from the earliest age. Our hunger services programs provide healthy food to thousands in our community through our food pantry, mobile food pantry and grocery delivery program for homebound seniors. We provide adults and seniors throughout Newport County a wide variety of engaging activities, ranging from cooking and art classes to fitness offerings, to strengthening mind and body.

The MLK also has an educational collaboration with organizations, such as Newport String Project and Newport County Youth Chorus. What other types of programming does MLK offer? One of the biggest goals of mine is to bring as much of the community to the Center as possible. This is done through the amazing collaborations named above. Those are only two of the dozens of other organizations that we partner with to support the people who call Newport County home. For example, the Potter League for Animals makes pet food as well as free animal wellness clinics accessible. Aquidneck Community Table, Jamestown Community Farm, Hope’s Harvest, and many other collaborating partners help provide weekly fresh produce to the over 3,000 people who rely on our Hunger Services programs annually to keep their families nourished. The arts programming at the MLK is strong thanks to Newport String Project, Newport County Youth Chorus, Rhode Island State Council of the Arts, Newport music festivals and more.

Tell us about the preschool and after-school programming and how these programs are serving the community. Before coming to the MLK, I was an elementary school teacher for 23 years. I am consistently amazed at the education programs here. We have a literacy-based preschool program that gives children as young as three a developmentally appropriate foundation to help them be more successful in school. The after-school program includes homework help and an amazing variety of enrichment activities from STEAM programming, cooking classes, music education, art classes and so much more. Our eight-week summer camp provides reading and math enrichment. The children take daily trips to destinations all over Newport County to swim, sail, hike and explore all that our beautiful community has to offer.

The MLK is also a great resource for seniors and those in need of food. Can you tell us about some of these programs? We offer our Food 2 Friends grocery delivery program for homebound seniors. We also offer Lunch and Learn, a monthly lunch for seniors that includes a healthy meal as well as a presentation on a topic important to seniors, such as enrolling for Medicare, or fun activities like chair yoga and the Animal Ambassador program through the Norman Bird Sanctuary. This also gives seniors a place to socialize, combating social isolation. A second lunch each month is being added. We also offer free art and fitness classes that are geared for all levels.

Is MLK programming available to anyone in Newport County who needs some extra assistance, socialization, or maybe just an opportunity to learn something new?

The Center and its programs are open to anyone in the community, and many have found opportunities to give back to the community through donating or volunteering. I think one of the most powerful things about the MLK is it’s a place where people meet. Not only those who need help, but also those who want to help.

What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen at MLK over the years? Focusing on dignity and respect and empowering our clients is at the heart of all that we do. Having a client choice food pantry, as well as our client choice Santa’s Workshop toy distribution, are a couple of the greatest examples of this. I have also seen greater outreach into the community. Our Food 2 Friends and Mobile Food Pantry programs are reaching people throughout Newport County. We know the bridges are a barrier to many, and we have reacted to that and are embedding these services beyond Aquidneck Island.

What changes or initiatives would you like to see in the future? I am looking at more ways of helping our clients to move to a place where they no longer need the support of a food pantry. This can be done with more workforce development programs that we can provide through new collaborations. I also would like to see us find new ways to support the growing Latino population in Newport County.

How can a business or organization interested in making a bigger impact in our community initiate a relationship with the MLK? Hosting a food drive to help us keep the pantry stocked with nutritious food, hosting a toy drive to help us continue to provide Christmas to over 800 local children, or becoming a sponsor for “Swing into Spring,” our annual fundraiser, are just a few of the many ways that corporations can support the community through the MLK. Corporate groups are also encouraged to visit MLK to do service projects, and we are always looking for volunteer chefs to cook for our MLK Family and Community Dinner and our daily breakfast program.

What are some of the Center’s greatest needs? Food is always needed. Keeping the shelves full of healthy food is a challenge. Whether through a food drive or through cash donations, any help that the community can give to support our neighbors who are hungry is appreciated. As an independent nonprofit, we always need money, and we always need new friends. Everyone can make a difference at the MLK. That means everyone is important and needed.

One response to “Conversation with Heather Strout”

  1. Lisa Hurd says:

    Amazing story!! You should be so proud of what you do, you are an inspiration!!!

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