ENP Blog

How to Become a Fresno Unified Vendor: A Guide for Community Partners

At Every Neighborhood Partnership, we believe in equipping community-based organizations to deepen their impact. One major opportunity we see is helping grassroots and faith-based groups become approved vendors with Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) — particularly through its Community Schools initiative.

To support this, I recently co-hosted a workshop with Darrin Person, Director of Community Schools for FUSD. Our goal: demystify the RFQ process and help local organizations navigate their way into becoming trusted partners with the district.

Here’s a quick recap of what we covered — and how you can get started.

andrewfeilHow to Become a Fresno Unified Vendor: A Guide for Community Partners
read more

SoulCare and Leadership: How Conflict and Recovery Intersect, with Dave Obwald

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

As leaders, we deal with conflict everyday.

Whether its inter-personal or personal, we each need to own our piece of the contribution. Dave Obwald is a Pastor at The Well Community Church and a certified transformational coach who walks alongside individuals and organizations in their journey of recovery, growth, performance, and spiritual transformation. With a master’s degree in conflict and peacemaking and over two decades of experience coaching others, he serves as a “transformational tour guide”—always growing and helping others become all that God invites them to be. In this conversation, Dave walks us through how we pick the narratives we live in and how we bring those into conflict resolution and our own recovery journeys.

Gabrielle PicenoSoulCare and Leadership: How Conflict and Recovery Intersect, with Dave Obwald
read more

Central Fresno Drive Tour

Hop in the car for a guided driving tour through Central Fresno, hosted by Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP). Hear from community members and ministry practitioners as they share their stories while pointing out signs of need and signs of hope in their neighborhoods. Learn more about Fresno, explore new areas and ministries in our city, and consider ways you can get involved in pursuing God’s shalom (peace) through what is already going on in Fresno.

Gabrielle PicenoCentral Fresno Drive Tour
read more

Soul Care and Leadership, Intro Episode with Andrew and Grace

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Welcome to a new series from What’s Good in the Neighborhood—Soul Care and Leadership. In this opening episode, we set the stage for a timely and necessary conversation about what it means to lead from a healthy soul. We’ll explore the rhythms that sustain emotionally healthy leadership, how to navigate conflict without burning out, and why recovery, spiritual practices, and deep friendships aren’t luxuries—they’re lifelines. Whether you’re leading in a church, a nonprofit, or just trying to be a steady presence in your community, this series invites you to go deeper, get honest, and rediscover the “good” in the neighborhoods we serve and in the souls we lead from.

Gabrielle PicenoSoul Care and Leadership, Intro Episode with Andrew and Grace
read more

Immigration Series and Real Relationships, with Ariana Martinez-Lott

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Today Andrew and Grace get to chat with local advocate and activist, Ariana Martinez-Lott who spent over ten years in advocacy work and real time relationships with undocumented folks here in Fresno County. Ariana brings real world insight and authentic experience to the conversation. Ariana talks about staying positive, seeing the current situation as an opportunity, and staying curious.

Serving as a consultant and engaged community member for local initiatives, Ariana Martinez Lott leverages her cross-sector relationships to strengthen resident-led transformation in Fresno. In her previous role as Community Relations Director for City of Fresno District 3, Ariana led policy analysis, managed district projects, and proudly helped residents navigate complex issues. An avid thrifter, she spends her spare time smothering her two children with kisses, or trying (relentlessly) to convince her husband to let her bring home more plantitas.

Gabrielle PicenoImmigration Series and Real Relationships, with Ariana Martinez-Lott
read more

What Happens When Kids Start Gardening at School? A Lot, Actually.

At Lincoln Elementary, students gather in their school garden, digging into the soil with their hands. They’re not just playing—they’re learning. About vegetables, responsibility, and where food comes from. This is transformative for their lives in the classroom and at home. Here’s why.

Ashley GoldsmithWhat Happens When Kids Start Gardening at School? A Lot, Actually.
read more

Immigration Series, with Mark Bowers of World Relief

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Andrew hangs out today with Mark Bowers of World Relief on the podcast. Mark describes how his own personal journey led him to a life on the margins with refugees and immigrants. Mark and Andrew discuss the Church’s role and responsibility to the immigrant, how World Relief is addressing and responding to the recent policy changes, and how you can learn and get involved with refugees in your own neighborhood.

J. Mark Bowers serves as Sr. Training Advisor for World Relief where his team builds tools for refugee and immigrant ministry in The Workshop. When the screens are powered down, Mark runs a housing business for immigrant families in East Lake—an under-resourced neighborhood where his own family lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Gabrielle PicenoImmigration Series, with Mark Bowers of World Relief
read more

Immigration Series, Local Policy Resources with Mariana Diaz

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Andrew sits down with Mariana Diaz, of Mennonite Central Committee West Coast, to talk about not only her personal story of immigration, but local immigration policies, ways to navigate and learn the system, and how to be a better neighbor to our local undocumented community.

Gabrielle PicenoImmigration Series, Local Policy Resources with Mariana Diaz
read more

Immigration Series, Introduction with Andrew and Grace

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Considering our current cultural moment, Andrew and Grace process the current administration’s philosophy on immigration in light of ENP values and point of view.

The two discuss how their personal faith is intersecting with the issue of immigration, and frame up for listeners why we’re taking a pause to learn from experts who have dedicated their lives or careers to people who live in the shadows of citizenship.

Gabrielle PicenoImmigration Series, Introduction with Andrew and Grace
read more