Program Updates
Financial Wellness
Sherry (name changed for privacy) reached out to us when she had no other options. Two days away from a scheduled sheriff’s sale, Sherry was at risk of losing her home and her belongings. After attempting to work with a mortgage servicer herself, and being sent back and forth between foreclosure attorneys, she had exhausted all of her options and had limited time left.
Sherry reached out to our Financial Wellness team, explained her situation, and asked for help. Our team gave Sherry clear answers on how to pay her balance the day before the sale. Sherry was able to pay her balance in full, and keep her home! When our team followed up a week later, Sherry expressed her gratitude, and her interest in continuing to work with us to maintain her housing payment.
Food Club
The mother of a Food Club member stopped by our front desk last month. Almost in tears, she told our team that without Food Club, her daughter’s family wouldn’t be able to afford food - “Food Club means the difference between eating and not eating.” She loved that healthy options were fewer points, and after her tour, said, “Food Club is beautiful.”
When budgets are pushed past the breaking point, healthy food is often the first thing families have to cut - prioritizing shelter, healthcare, transportation, and other critical needs. While traditional food access models solve emergencies, few solutions exist to meet ongoing needs in a sustainable, empowering way. Food is either free at a pantry or full price at the grocery store. Food Club fills that gaping hole in the middle, provides connection and support, and helps families prevent a challenge from becoming a crisis.
Outreach
New to the area, Terry (name and photo changed for privacy) reached out to our team. After experiencing homelessness in another city, Terry was dedicated to finding a home. Working together, step-by-step, Terry and our team navigated the complex web of resources that could help him find safe, stable housing. Connecting with a recovery coach, then our partners at Community Mental Health, then securing a housing choice voucher, Terry remained determined to reach his goals.
After all his hard work, Terry moved into housing last month! Now, he’s connected with our Financial Wellness team, and learning the skills and tools he needs to achieve his financial goals and work towards long term stability.
All too often, people feel reduced to a number, or a statistic, lost in a web of complicated processes, waitlists, and red tape. No one should have to navigate challenges alone - that’s why we work to be a centralized hub, combining programming, partnerships, and resource navigation to offer an informed, streamlined, and less frustrating path toward stability.
Community Kitchen
Over the fourth of July weekend, our partners at Hope College Creative Dining Services reached out to our team. They had a surplus of delicious, prepared food, and wanted to make sure it didn’t go to waste. Chef Heidi was thrilled to use a portion of the food at the Community Kitchen, but there was more available than we could use.
The Lakeshore Food Rescue team knew what to do - using our new Food Rescue Hero app, they shared about the available food. Volunteers who were signed up through the app received an alert that there was an available pickup, and within minutes it was claimed - by our own Chef Heidi! She was able to transport the food to one of our local nonprofit partners that same day.
We’re already seeing the difference that Lakeshore Food Rescue can make at our Community Kitchen, at Food Club, and for the 30+ nonprofit partners in our network. In the last 30 days, 16 volunteer rescues through the app have redirected 2,137 pounds of food! Our team is preparing to publicly launch the app this week, and we need volunteers, food donors, and nonprofits to sign up and help us turn excess food into food access! Learn more about how you can join the movement at lakeshorefoodrescue.org.
In Case You Missed It
Tune in as our Lakeshore Food Rescue Manager, Krista Burgett, and Lakeshore Food Rescue Partnerships Manager, Aubree Carlisle speak on the expansion of Lakeshore Food Rescue.
In Honor of Juneteenth, Action House raises $2,178 for I Am Academy and Women of Color Give! Read to learn more about these two organizations
CEO Scott Rumpsa met with Lauren Edwards of Fox 17: West Michigan, to talk about the expansion of Lakeshore Food Rescue!
Are you concerned about the issue of homelessness in our area? Do you seek one-on-one connection with people? Are you looking for a foot in the door to a great organization?
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