MINNEAPOLIS — "Refurbished it, fixed it up to do what we're doing now, and as you see, people are coming in," said pastor Bruce Carpenter with the New Oil Christian Center.
A mobile trailer sits in the parking lot of Northside Cub at the intersection of North Aldrich and West Broadway Avenues in north Minneapolis.
"We're a mobile corner office; what we are doing is providing jobs and resources for inner-city people who are struggling," he said.
Carpenter is no stranger to helping those living in this community. He's one of many faith leaders in the Twin Cities participating in the 21 Days of Peace initiative, adding locations at different hot spots when there's a need.
"We've been with this for 45 days. We travel to different hot spots — Penn Avenue, of course West Broadway, then we have Nicollet."
The gun violence prevention initiative started with pastors building relationships with people out on the streets —hosting events with food, supplies and free bibles. Carpenter says the mobile trailer provides pre-employment screening and training opportunities.
"We allow them to come here get their permit, get tested, then we have a training center where tractor-trailer drivers can pick them up and teach them how to drive," he said.
Carpenter says the goal is to put an end to recent violence by addressing disparities. So far this year, there have been 83 homicides in the city of Minneapolis alone.
"You got shootings, killings; babies can't go to the store," he said. So what we did, is we came outside the church and embraced the hearts of our people."
In addition to north Minneapolis, 21 Days of Peace focuses on crime prevention in south Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Brooklyn Park, bringing job opportunities directly to people in need.
"If we come and deal with the real solution, we can give them an opportunity," he said.
The Corner Office is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at various locations. Call 612-518-2970 for more information.