Sacred Heart Church has been a cornerstone of the north Omaha community since 1902. As Sacred Heart’s neighborhood changed over the years, so did the needs of the community members. In response to several “human needs” requests by community members, parish priest Fr. Jim Scholz hired Sr. Mary Ann Murphy to start the Sacred Heart Human Needs Door Ministry in 1982. Sr. Murphy began working with a group of parishioners to address the human needs concerns of the neighborhood and the homebound and elderly. As this ministry evolved over time, Sr. Murphy began working with Pattie Fidone. In 1997, the two women opened the Heart Ministry Center at 3124 Spaulding St., two miles northwest of the Sacred Heart campus. The Heart Ministry Center began focusing on serving families with children in school. They provided food items, holiday baskets, clothes, financial assistance and miscellaneous household items to people in need.

In 2002, parish priest Fr. Tom Fangman had the vision to bring the Heart Ministry Center onto the Sacred Heart Campus. He brought together a building committee comprised of twelve community and business leaders, chaired by Owen Neary. The building committee fundraised over $650,000 and the 9600 square foot building was completed, debt free, in May 2005. When the facility was completed, the Heart Ministry Center building committee transitioned into the role of Board of Directors for the center. In the summer of 2006, the Board of Directors initiated the first annual “Holy Smokes” fundraiser, now an annual event.

With the new facility, the Board of Directors expected the center to address community needs at a larger capacity. Sara Hohnstein, executive director of the Heart Ministry Center from January 2007 to January 2009, expanded the HMC services to include a walk-in food pantry, a walk-in clothing closet, educational classes and numerous community outreach events. Yolanda Robinson, our current executive director, carries our vision and ongoing efforts to individuals in need of our services.