“We run TRY, Transform and Reaching Our Youth,” Allen said. “Every second and fourth Sunday, we go down to the Juvenile Detention Center and talk to the kids. We haven’t run the summer program in a while due to funding. I’m trying to find some funding now so that I can run it next summer. In the program, we do job readiness, social and emotional learning, and group therapy. We partner with a lot of different organizations. Only one of the kids who were involved in that program went back to the Juvenile Detention Center. Those that came through the program have jobs and they are doing well now. Most of them either graduated or will be graduating next year from high school.”

While foster children receive many social services when they are minors, once they reach adulthood, they can be pretty much on their own. Many do not make the relatively quick adjustment.

“We also run a program for foster kids who are aging out of foster care,” Allen said. “We teach them life lessons. We get them together to do nice, fun trips. We teach them about being adults, how to pay their bills, how to go grocery shopping and other tasks. Some kids are 16-17-years-old and they are in independent living. They are living on their own. We help them buy furniture, bedding and things like that. My son is 17-years-old and I can’t imagine him being by himself right now and living on his own. Even me, I was very dependent upon my mom. I’m really praying for those kids. Once they turn 20-years-old, the system is pretty much done with them. That’s why we try to connect them with mentors and be there for them so that after the system lets them go, they still have someone they can lean on to help them into adulthood.”

One of MTZ Charitable’s most intensive programs is its older adult programs.

“Deena Wright is running the adult program for us,” Allen said. “In 2017, Ruben Anthony and I facilitated a group discussion with African American older adults looking at their needs. The number one need that the older adults had was social interaction. Many of them live by themselves. They come into contact with few people until they come to church on Sundays, if they go to church. And so, Deena started running the program for other organizations and we invited her to use our space. But now she is the director here to provide that social interaction. Sometimes people come and can’t work a computer, can’t figure it out for nothing. But the purpose of them showing up is to have that social interaction and being able to be around people their age and doing things that they like to do.”

The program is held Tuesday-Thursday and each day of programming includes a communal meal.

“On Tuesday, our seniors have art class,” Allen said. “They really enjoy that. I’ve talked to some people who come and they are excited about the art because it helps them with their thinking. And it allows some social interaction. It also allows them to use their creativity. They really love the painting. On Wednesdays, they do the computer jitters. We teach them how to use computers. It’s called Calming Computer Jitters. We teach them how to use the computers and not be afraid of the computer so that they can have some social interaction while at home. And then on Thursdays, they have a fitness class where they come in and Johnny Winston Jr. teaches them some fitness exercises to keep them in shape. They love that. I’m glad to see that a lot of people come and take advantage of those sessions.”

MTZ’s programming essentially serves everyone in the family, from young children to older adults and everyone in between, serving over 1,000 unduplicated people per year. MTZ wants the whole family to advance together.

“We’re a collaborative team, Allen emphasized. “If we have older adults or children who are suffering from any kind of mental health issue, we don’t have to send them out somewhere. We have the services right here at MTZ. If we have children or older adults who are struggling to get food, they don’t have to run to the grocery store. We just get the key and walk over to the food pantry. It’s a holistic approach to how we help the family.”

Allen emphasized that the work of MTZ is not duplicative of the programming olf other service providers in the area.

“People are asking us the difference between us and Ruben and Gee and Centro,” Allen said. “For us, we believe we are the heart of the community. And the programs and the services that we provide are life-giving to families so that they may be able to enjoy a show at the Center for Black Excellence or it may be advantageous for someone to go and start a business through The Hub or job training through the Urban League. How can we be intentional about connecting all of the services right here on the south side to be able to come together and lift up the people through a holistic approach in meeting their needs as best as we can? We can’t do this by ourselves. And we definitely can’t do it just through the generosity of the members of Mt. Zion. We definitely need other organizations that will be willing to give to us — and many have. Some say that MTZ Charitable is too new. Actually we’ve been around for 114 years. And we are celebrating 115 next year.”

MTZ provides its programming in a hodge podge of spaces that includes parts olf its old building, parts of the addition that was built well over a decade ago and the separate house where the food pantry is located. In spite of its physical limitations, MTZ has been committed to raising up not only South Madison, but also the greater Madison area.

“We’ve been bringing a lot of donors through for our building project,” Allen said. “And some of them are like, ‘Wow, we just didn’t know how much you were doing.’ It’s not by happenstance. It’s just the intentionality of knowing our role and our responsibility in the community. One question that I often ask my congregations is, ‘If our church was to pick up and leave, would the community even notice that we were gone? That’s the question that we often lead because we don’t want to be a healthy, well church within a sick community. Our intention is to make sure that we have an impact on those around us. And I think we’re doing a pretty good job with that.”

The new building that will house MTZ Charitable will help them consolidate their programming and will be built on the land where the remaining old church is as well as the land currently occupied by the food pantry.

“We can’t accommodate everything that is necessary for our programs to run,” Allen said. “Our capacity is limiting us tightly, especially our older adults. We want to expand it to more people, but we are limited due to the space that we have. We hope to have shovels in the ground by Spring 2026. After that, we’ll have enough space to really do what we want to do and have more people engaged in the programs that we have. Right now, we are very limited and we are juggling space.”

Through the capital campaign, MTZ is hoping to purchase some mini-buses, which will allow them to facilitate the participation of youth and adults who don’t live in MTZ’s immediate service area.

“We also need additional transportation,” Allen said. “We have transportation, but the number of people who want to come and the distances they want to come from is also a challenge for us. And now we have to pay drivers to be able to go and do that work to pick up the older adults. If we don’t have transportation, we don’t have programs. We’ve seen that with our TRY Program. If the kids can get here, they will come. Often times, their parents are working and they can’t get away. Transportation is very key for us in terms of what we are doing.”

MTZ has commitments for about 70 percent of their $8.3 million capital campaign. They hope to break ground during the celebration of their 115^th year. They can’t do it without you.

“For more information or to give a donation to the project, www.mtzcharitableorginc.com.