Uplift Organization Inc.

03/27/2026

5,651
# of nights Uplift has gone out*

02/18/2026

The priest says:

Remember that you are dust.

She already knows.
She has slept in dust.
She has eaten from dust.

She has been treated like dust
by people who forgot
that dust is what God chose
when He wanted to make something
in His own image.

Today we mark our foreheads
to remember our mortality.
Ash Wednesday tells the comfortable:
You will die.

Her forehead was already marked
by a world that forgot her dignity.
She already knows what the ashes say.

That she is dust.
That she is beloved.
That she was never forgotten.

02/18/2026

Grateful for our partners at nbkc bank who turned creativity into care last week. Their first Battle of the Cans brought together 70+ employees to build sculptures of KC landmarks and beyond... all from 8,211 donated cans now heading to our mobile outreach routes.

And if that weren't enough:
nbkc matched every can with $1, adding another $8,211 to support our work with neighbors experiencing homelessness!
Every can is nourishment.
Every dollar keeps our vans rolling.

This is true community partnership. Ordinary people using imagination and resources to directly serve the most vulnerable in our community.

nbkc gets it: Our community's strength is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable.
When everyone has what they need, Kansas City thrives.

Thank you, nbkc, for investing in care and compassion for the homeless!

01/24/2026

IMAGINE BEING OUTSIDE TONIGHT!

Not just stepping out for a minute while retrieving something from the car. Imagine being out there the whole time. Living there.

It’s -2 degrees and snow in the air.
Your hands hurt. Your feet are numb.
Hour to hour. Minute to minute.
Every decision is about trying to stay alive till morning.

For whatever reason, you can’t go inside.
As the sun goes down, you see the long night ahead.

THEN A VAN SHOWS UP.
An Uplift van.

You see the silhouette and the headlights first.
Then people getting out.
Hot food. Gloves. A sleeping bag.
A cup of hot chocolate in your hands.

Someone looks at you like you matter.
Like you’re worth stopping for.
Like you’re not invisible.
Like you are not forgotten.

Like you are worth the effort
to leave the warmth of their own home,
to gather up the things,
to cook the meals,
to drive through snow,
to be with you for a few minutes.

One human to another human:
"You are my neighbor
You need food
You need warmth
You need to live another day."

That moment does something to a person.
It awakens the human spirit.
It provides strength.
It keeps hope alive.

When the human spirit is alive
and connected,
and feels supported,
anything is possible.

Change is possible
Redemption is possible
Reunification is possible
Flourishing is possible

But none of that is possible
if they don't make it through the night.

---------------

Listen... WE WISH THIS WASN'T NEEDED
We wish they all were inside.

Until that happens, we do this.
and we try to do it well
to have the things they need.

But some items don't get donated enough.

We all have extra t-shirts...
but we don't have extra sleeping bags
or ski gloves
or handwarmers
or boots

So WE BUY THEM.
LOTS of them.
We buy them year round
We buy them on sale
We buy them in bulk.
We stock up.
This is why we expanded our warehouse.
For this!

That’s what the COLD WEATHER FUND makes possible.

-------------------

We invite you to MAKE A GIFT for your homeless neighbors
$10
$100
$1000
Better yet, make it a monthly gift.

These donations go directly to buying the things they need.

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/upliftorganization
select COLD WEATHER FUND

If you can't give financial support,
PRAY for them.
THINK of them.
REMEMBER them.

Here are a few names of folks to pray for
that are OUTSIDE TONIGHT:

Trina, Cesar , Rob , Casey, Alex

Uplift is amazing organization! Please donate to help fund their work. They take food, clothing and other essentials out to the homeless on the streets of Kansas City.

01/23/2026

Bitter cold is here
and snow is on the way.

Our homeless neighbors still need us to show up.

But we need you to stay home, stay safe, and let the plows do their work.

CLOSED: Sat Morning
(no sort, no drop-offs)

Routes are still ON for Saturday evening.

Thank you for caring for our neighbors from wherever you are.

01/19/2026

Great to have a big group of volunteers today from
The Church of the Resurrection

Thank you for serving and making a difference for our homeless neighbors.

01/13/2026

Tune in this Friday to hear about Uplift
on KC Cares podcast

This Friday at 10 a.m. on KC Cares, we’re having a meaningful conversation about meeting people where they are. 💙Join us on Facebook Live at 10 a.m. and streaming on LinkedIn (Charitable Communictions) as we talk with Ross Dessert, president of Uplift Organization, a mobile street outreach serving our neighbors experiencing homelessness across Kansas City. You won’t want to miss this inspiring look at compassion in action.

01/03/2026

Thanks to these young baseball players from Team KC 12U for spending part of their day volunteering with Uplift.

Good kids, good energy, and you never know 👀 who might show up and pitch in.
👀 👀 👀

12/31/2025

You’d think we ask for these notes. Or prompt them.
We don’t.

These are two we received recently from neighbors we serve on our routes.

I can tell you how much it matters when people show up. When volunteers give their time. When folks share extra coats, socks, food, or make a financial gift. When a community chooses not to forget about people living outside.

But it’s something else entirely when the people on the receiving end tell you themselves that it all matters.

As we turn toward a new year, many of us are taking stock, weighing the good and the hard, wondering what kind of year it really was. I imagine many of our neighbors feel that weight even more.

And still, here they are, choosing gratitude.

I am constantly amazed by what we can learn from them or receive as inspiration. These notes teach us that hope is still a choice. That gratitude is still possible. That none of us make it alone. That interdependence isn’t weakness.

It’s also a reminder that choosing to care, to share what we have, and to keep showing up, really does matter.

Happy New Year!
Ross

12/31/2025

a quiet reminder before the year closes

As the year winds down, the cold doesn’t.

We’re still out on the routes, meeting neighbors outside and sharing what helps most right now, sleeping bags, boots, gloves, and coats. There is still a lot of winter ahead.

If you were already planning a year end gift, our Cold Weather Fund helps us keep these essentials moving through the coldest months. https://secure.qgiv.com/for/upliftorganization

You can also choose to buy items directly from our Amazon lists.
www.uplift.org/donate-items

No pressure. Just a reminder.
Thank you for helping us stay steady and present.

With gratitude,

Ross + The Uplift Team

12/26/2025

The Uplift Family Christmas Letter
This is our Christmas letter.
The old-school kind.

PDF version at the link http://bit.ly/4qisXXm