Blok by Blok

09/01/2026

We are so excited to have helped get Helping Hands of Springfield a brand new website for FREE for ALL of the amazing work they do EVERY DAY!!! Thank you to the staff, the management and board of this organization for truly standing up for what is right for our community. Check it out at:

https://helpinghandsofspringfield.org

08/23/2026

Some things are cooking now 🍳

Tomorrow I am interviewing Cainan Barnett from Blok by Blok.

Cainan was essential in helping bring the Mosaic Sessions to life, including the live recording at Arrow Root. I have also watched him firsthand build a website for an organization, and he was part of the My Heart's Downtown Springfield, IL team.

He is creative, curious, entrepreneurial and, importantly, not afraid of AI.

So I want your questions.

What would you ask Cainan about creativity, AI, building things, downtown Springfield, entrepreneurship, or anything else?

Drop your questions below before 10 tomorrow morning and I’ll ask him on camera.

Then I’ll post his answers in video.

Let’s see what he has to say.

Peace ✌️

08/21/2026

Local organizations shouldn’t have to choose between doing good work and paying thousands of dollars just to exist online.

That’s why Blok by Blok builds modern websites for local nonprofits and community organizations at no cost to them, EVER. No contracts. No subscriptions. No lingering fees.

Blok by Blok is looking for partnerships to keep our mission moving forward. Every donation helps cover the real cost of design, development, hosting, tools, training, and ongoing support so another organization can spend its money where it belongs: on its mission.

If you believe strong local organizations deserve strong digital tools or are simply looking to partner with a new, local, 501(c)3 - help us by donating TODAY at:

www.blokbyblok.org/donate

Your support. Their impact.

08/17/2026

NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS will be re-airing our segment on Community Voices today, August 17 during the noon to 1pm hour and again during the 10 to 11pm hour on WUIS 91.9 FM. Check it out if you can!



Cainan Barnett

08/05/2026

If you haven’t checked it out yet, take a look!

Blok by Blok is proud to have worked with the Springfield Theatre Centre on its newly refreshed website. It’s easier to explore upcoming productions, learn more about the theatre, and find your next opportunity to get involved.

Check out the new site! While you’re there, see what's open for audition!

🎭 www.springfieldtheatrecentre.com

The official digital stage for Springfield Theatre Centre, providing community access to live theatrical arts, education, and performances.

07/31/2026

Blok by Blok doesn’t sell websites. We expand missions.

We build them for small businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and people doing good work, then help fund the cost through donations, grants, sponsorships, and partnerships.

The goal is to disconnect you from recurring website payments. Forever. Once your site is built, the only ongoing cost should be your domain name.

So, do you pay every month for your website? Does it actually bring you sales, donations, customers, or new opportunities? Is it outdated, stagnant, hard to update, or holding your organization back? A website should work for you. It should not be another bill you keep paying forever.

Some organizations that previously had no website, after receiving one from Blok by Blok, have had new website traffic of upwards of 7,000 unique visitors within their first 30 days being live online.

Blok by Blok is building a better way. Come see how.

www.blokbyblok.org

07/24/2026

Another Springfield organization is officially online. 🍝💙

Blok by Blok just finished the new website for Feeding Springfield One Lasagna At A Time, and this is one we are incredibly proud to share.

What Beth Rees has built is hard to put into words...

It started with one lasagna delivered on Christmas Eve in 2020 because Beth saw people struggling and decided to do something about it. That single act of kindness grew into a community-wide movement that has provided meals, emergency food assistance, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, holiday experiences, and support to families throughout Springfield.

Beth, Josh, their daughters, and an entire village of volunteers have served thousands of families, delivered tens of thousands of meals, organized more than 150 community events, supported seniors and veterans, and reminded people during some of their hardest moments that they are not forgotten. They have served more than 125,000 meals and she is still building.

Feeding Springfield now includes:

🍝 Home-cooked lasagnas and community meals
🛒 Emergency food assistance when families are in crisis
🇺🇸 Outreach for local seniors and veterans
🎄 Free holiday meals, gifts, and family events
👕 The Closet of Hope, providing clothing, hygiene products, and essentials
👗 BB Boutique, helping Springfield students receive free formalwear for prom and other special moments
🎒 School supply drives and additional community outreach
🤝 Volunteer opportunities for anyone ready to help love on their community

Their new website finally gives all of that work one home.

Families can privately request help. Volunteers can sign up. Donors can support the mission. Visitors can learn about each program, find upcoming events, read real stories from the community, and understand how one Springfield family turned compassion into action.

This is exactly why Blok by Blok exists.

Organizations like Feeding Springfield One Lasagna At A Time should not have to struggle with a costly website build, expensive subscriptions, or complicated technology just to reach the people who need them most. Our job is to build the infrastructure so people like Benth Rees can keep doing the work only they can do.

Please take a few minutes to visit the new site, learn Beth’s story, and see how you can help:

www.feedingspringfield.com

Congratulations to Beth and Josh and the entire Feeding Springfield village. You built something Springfield truly needs. We were honored to help build its new home online.

There are more than 60,000 nonprofits in Illinois alone. There's still more to build. Support our mission.
www.blokbyblok.org/build and give in any amount!

A community-powered organization for feeding families, supporting our neighbors, and organizing local outreach efforts to ensure no one in Springfield goes to bed hungry.

07/17/2026

Blok by Blok has now helped launch 39 organizations and have 50 more on the docket, with your help. We have saved these 39 entities a total of over $136,688.77 per year and counting, forever, and we couldn't have done it without you.

To help continue our mission, please support our us at: www.blokbyblok.org/build
OR apply for your very own website, today:
www.blokbyblok.org/apply

We appreciate your support and dedication to our community organizations and start-up businesses. We take the cost out of digital enterprising for those who need it most.