Community

Get to know Near North Side, a Chicago neighborhood, by reading this local's guide.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Near North Side

Listen to Good & Decent's reflection on the importance of listening emphasized by a community initiative helping people to feel heard.

Good and Decent EP 23: Free Listening

Watch how the People's Market in Skid Row, Los Angeles, is building equality through quality food and jobs.

Finding Solace in a Skid Row Convenience Store

Have a laugh, on us. Check out the Grotto team's favorite funny videos.

Need a Laugh? Here are the Grotto Team’s Recs

Watch how Vince's community cleanup in San Francisco beautifies the area and brings awareness to care for the earth.

In the Can, Not the Bay

Get to know Lincoln Park, a Chicago neighborhood, by reading this local's guide.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Lincoln Park

Watch how Elmore Roots uses organic horticulture to grow healthy plants and educate the community.

Good and Decent Episode 20: The Elusive Gooseberry

Watch how Good Shepherd Montessori School is empowering students to save the earth through regenerative farming.

From Seed to Lunchroom Table

Learn how to make friends in Chicago — or any new city.

How I Cultivated Community When I Moved to Chicago

Get to know Lakeview, a Chicago neighborhood, by reading this local's guide.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Lakeview

Watch and read how AGLO answers the call to love.

AGLO is Answering the Call to Love

Watch these two brothers create unique flavors of ice cream in Boston.

Ice Cream Brothers: A Grotto Short Film

How do we "love thy neighbor"? Kelvin firmly believes we should treat others the way we want to be treated. And he's spreading kindness and love by giving out free groceries to those in need.

Sharing Love with Groceries

Grotto celebrates that God is love within the LGBTQ+ community.

God is Love

Peruse these independent Chicago bookstores and find community, too.

Explore Chicago’s Literary Scene This Winter

Learn how music connects people by reading this story.

The Magic of Making Music With Others

Meditate on the feeling of belonging and experience the magic of it.

Meditating on the Magic of Belonging

Read this reflective narrative about fairy doors and how they brought a community together.

Fairy Doors and the Call to Connection

Watch this mini-documentary about a community about friends that become family.

Take Me Home: A Grotto Short Film

Read this reflective narrative about the peace and community found in a visit to the library.

Why I’m Most at Home in a Library

Read this reflective narrative about embracing a different culture after you move — this author came to the United States from Honduras.

Finding Myself in a New Country

Use these apps to get off your phone and spend time outdoors.

The Powerful Invitation to “Just Stop In”

Enjoy Chicago safely with these tips from an author who lives in the city.

6 Tips for Enjoying Life in Chicago Safely

Learn how this couple committed to building community by hosting regular potlucks.

“A Space Where Strangers Become Friends”

Watch this group help the community learn how to jump double dutch.

Teaching Strangers Double Dutch on Brooklyn Streets

Watch how Simple House inspired this woman to help the poor in a new way.

Ice Cream Minivan

Watch to learn how Kay is showing the world that yoga is for everyone.

Breaking the Mold as a Yoga Instructor

Being new to Chicago can be frightening, but we have everything here to make you feel like a local.

I Just Moved to Chicago — Now What?

Watch why Shawntes loves lifting others up in the gym so they are healthy.

Helping His Hometown Get Healthy And Swole

Watch why DACA Dreamers can keep dreaming thanks to La Casa de Amistad.

Keeping Dreamers Dreaming

Do you "feel at home"? Listen to Good and Decent's S2 | Ep2 about finding home if you moved to a new city, state, etc.

Finding Home

Watch AustinEater trying new foods in his new city Austin, Texas.

AustinEater: Exploring Food in a New City

Wondering how to create a community to make friends? Watch how this rock climber did just that.

Rock Climbing: How to Form Community

Watch why Joyce Wanjiku Kair spends time taking care of the elderly, a service most Kenyan families cannot afford.

Stories of People Who Found Where They Belong

Need help finding your community in Chicago? Good news — Grotto can help!

Guess Who’s New in Town? Grotto Chicago

Read these five steps for how to feel at home when moving to a new city.

5 Ways to Feel at Home in Your New City

Watch how this dance teacher helps others in his community.

Providing a Home Through Dance

Watch this "media nun" bring joy to the internet.

The “Media Nun” Brings Joy to the Internet

Watch how this village carpenter builds furniture and relationships.

Building Furniture & Community for the Neighborhood

This Austin, TX community supported a local family and the rebuilding of their business when tragedy struck.

Family of Piñata Artists Shows Resilience

Learn how dogspotting can bring joy to your everyday life.

Dogspotting is the Game You Didn’t Know You Needed

Watch how the growing community of the South Bend Unity Garden helps people in the town.

The Unity Garden is a Sanctuary For All

Read this reflective narrative about the gift of being gay.

The Gift of Growing Up ‘Different’

Watch how and why this man created a community garden from an abandoned lot.

From Abandoned Lot to a Fruitful Garden

Watch how Little Wish's gifts for children with cancer are spreading joy and inspiring other young people.

Little Wish Foundation Brings Joy To Kids with Cancer

Meet Peter Maurin, the labor activist who started a revolution with the Catholic Worker Movement.

Meet Peter Maurin, the Labor Activist Who Started a Revolution

Gather round the table for some grilling and friendships!

The Art of Friendship, Perfected Around a Grill

Watch this park volunteer create magic for children by putting a fairy door in a local park and open another world for them.

This Passionate Volunteer Creates Magic

Watch how this wrestler found community within World Party Rasslin'.

This League of Women Wrestlers Changed Her Life

Find out what a college support group can offer for LGBTQ people.

3 Things LGBTQ People Can Find in a College Support Group

Watch how '239 Arts' and young artists create community in the big city of NYC.

‘239 Arts’ Provides Community For Artists in Broadway

Watch how this community center in Elkhart is helping raise young leaders.

Creating A Community Center to Help Raise Leaders

Watch Oasis Juice Bar owner Abdi help the community's lifestyle.

Harlem Juice Bar Brings Healthy Choices to the Neighborhood

Watch the owner of this drive-in theater try to keep the experience alive.

Escaping Reality at the Drive-In Theatre

Watch how this artist pours her love and faith into her handmade pottery.

Sharing Love Through Her Pottery

This volunteer is working on creating food desert solutions for his neighborhood.

Transforming a Food Desert into a Food Forest

Watch this man help others by teaching the stock market on the Clubhouse app.

Helping Others Learn The Stock Market on Clubhouse

Watch why the mother of black Catholic churches is known for its community.

Community Thrives at This Historically Black Catholic Parish

This org is helping make connections across different generations in the local community. Watch to hear their inspirational story.

Giving Older Women Makeup and Connections

Listen to Good and Decent's Ep. 5 about finding and maintaining friendships.

Podcast S1 | Ep.5: Finding Friendship

Watch how David Bailey and Arrabon help communities engage in reconciliation and promote unity through songwriting.

Healing Racial Tension with Music and Lyrics

Watch this video about the hidden power when you write to a prisoner.

Letters Bring Healing & Community For Those in Prison

Read this reflective narrative about finding community online as a queer Catholic.

How I Found Community As a Queer Catholic

Learn about biking to work from multiple bicyclists with these bike to work tips.

How & Why to Bike to Work This Week

Listen to how these people give back to the community in Good and Decent's second episode, Finding Generosity.

Podcast S1 | Ep2: Finding Generosity

Watch how Goshen Brewing Company has stayed afloat during the pandemic.

He Brews Beers and Community

Be an upstander with us and stand up for LGBTQ rights.

Join Us in Standing Up for LGBTQ Friends

Watch us introduce our new podcast Good and Decent. We are very excited to drop our first episode next week.

Good and Decent: A Podcast by Grotto

Work for the common good by following these three keys.

3 Keys to Engaging With Those We Disagree With

Watch this woman create tiny purple food pantries for her community during the pandemic.

These DIY Food Pantries are Feeding the Community

Read this reflective narrative about finding a young adult ministry in Chicago.

Moving to Chicago, I Needed a Place that Felt Like Home

Learn how to find a faith community if you're moving to a new city by following these tips.

Settling into a New City? Finding a Faith Community Can Help

Take an inside look here at these teaching programs across America.

An Inside Look at Teaching Service Programs

Watch how Catholic Beard Balm created a community where people's lives have been changed with the amount of support for each individual.

Creating Community Around Catholic Beard Balm

How do you crowdfund? Detroit SOUP, a community crowdfunding example, provides microgrants to support creative local projects.

Detroit SOUP Builds Community

Watch this urban agriculture program provide fresh, affordable produce to the Fort Wayne community.

Urban Agriculture Program Provides Fresh, Affordable Produce

Bread baking has helped this family get through the pandemic while also spreading love to their community; watch more here.

Spreading Love in This Pandemic with Homemade Bread

Meet Fr. Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries.

A Commitment to Radical Kinship

Find out what the focolare movement is here and how it calls us to unity.

This Worldwide Peace Movement is a Call to Unity

Watch why this woman decided to turn her restaurant into a food pantry when COVID hit the US.

Meet the Woman Who Turned Her Restaurant Into a Food Pantry

Find out how Saint Dymphna inspired the popular podcast "St. Dymphna's Playbook".

The Podcast that Explores Mental Health and Faith

Giving Tuesday is about doing good and supporting organizations that need our support; here are some from #GrottoStories.

Your #GrottoStories Guide to Giving Tuesday

Cultivate relationships with other individuals by following these three paths.

3 Paths to Cultivating Community in Your Life

Learn how investing in local food can foster community and solidarity.

Investing in Local Food is Investing in One Another

Watch this civil rights lawyer double as a radio DJ and plays diverse songs to spread a message of love and unity.

Civil Rights Lawyer Doubles as Radio DJ

Watch why it's important to vote according to CSPL (Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership).

DACA Recipient Who Can’t Vote Encourages Others Who Can

Play these games on Zoom the next time you connect virtually with your friends.

7 Group Activities to Do Over Zoom

Watch Bridget's Cradles give the gift of hope and healing to grieving parents.

Giving the Gift of Hope and Healing to Grieving Parents

Check out these podcast recommendations from the Grotto community.

Podcasts Currently Resonating with Grotto Readers

Watch how the Local Cup coffee shop functions on a paying it forward basis.

Local Coffee Shop Runs on Acts of Kindness

Watch how this committee is helping the U.S. Census 2020 by raising awareness for undercounted communities.

Raising Census Awareness in Undercounted Communities

This monastery beer brings people together to celebrate beer, religious life, and community.

Brewing Beer at a Benedictine Monastery

Watch how volunteering at Here Kitty Kitty Rescue made this couple strong.

Volunteering at a Cat Rescue Keeps This Couple Strong

Watch why Kathleen McConahay has the passion for flag restoration.

Restoring Beauty to American Flags

Watch how Cafe Ohlone preserves and celebrates the language, meals, and practices of the Muwekma Ohlone people.

This Café is Preserving and Celebrating Native Culture

Watch this hairdresser give haircuts for the homeless.

Hair Stylist Gives Free Haircuts to Homeless in Her Community

Watch how these three black neighbors are transforming communities.

Lifting Up Black Stories: 3 Neighbors Transforming their Communities

Watch why this military spouse created a podcast to help others around the world.

Podcast Helps Military Spouses Find Community

Why is community important during the pandemic? This author goes into detail.

Make Community Mean Something in this Pandemic

Watch Icing Smiles create custom cakes for children who are battling severe illnesses.

Pastry Chef Makes “Dream Cakes” for Kids with Critical Illness

Explore more Grotto

Download this guide for exploring Near North Side, Chicago.

Free Download: What to See, Eat, Explore, Do, Try Near North Side

Get to know Near North Side, a Chicago neighborhood, by reading this local's guide.

Welcome to the Neighborhood: Near North Side

Check out these suggestions for six sustainable gifts that can help protect the earth and make your loved ones happy.

6 Sustainable Gift Ideas for the Holidays

Read this article to learn how moving back home after college could change your life for the better.

Why It’s OK to Move Home After College

Read this article for tips to set healthy boundaries in relationships and provide you with peace of mind in future interactions.

Boundaries 101: Creating Space

Find out how new family traditions can bring your loved ones closer together and facilitate meaningful memories.

The Power in Creating New Traditions

Listen to Good & Decent's reflection on the importance of listening emphasized by a community initiative helping people to feel heard.

Good and Decent EP 23: Free Listening

With these tips, learn how to pay off student loans while still maintaining a high quality of life.

How I Paid Off Student Loans (And Found Peace During It)

Read this reflective narrative about cooking cultural foods to connect with family history and heritage.

Cooking Was My Way Back to My Puerto Rican Roots

Read this article for three tips to develop healthy adult sibling relationships, regardless of your differences and past.

3 Ways You Can Repair a Sibling Relationship