Dear Reader,

As we enter a new year, we’re looking back on 2023 with nothing but gratitude for what our community chose to accomplish, together. Your support as volunteers, food drive partners, financial supporters, cheerleaders, and advocates, made it possible for more neighbors than ever before to find the healthy food, belief, and partnership they needed to move forward. Thank you, for proving that we are a community where caring happens, second chances are creatively found, and our neighbors experience unrelenting kindness and connection.

We’re celebrating countless stories of hope, health, and happiness - lives changed through the power of healthy food access, families building stability through financial empowerment, and so many instances of people in our community showing up for one another. Through your support, in 2023 we were able to:

Welcome and serve 3,500+ families at Food Club
Provide 66,000+ hot, healthy meals at the Community Kitchen
Help 59 formerly unhoused neighbors transition into safe, stable housing
Redirect over 2 million pounds of food to help feed our neighbors
Partner with 150+ guests through one-on-one financial counseling

What an incredible year! We invite you to celebrate with us, and take pride in the work that our community makes possible. With your help, we’ll continue to serve as a critical network of support for those who need it most - walking alongside our neighbors as they move from crisis to stability. As we step into 2024, we’re dreaming of (and planning!) bigger and better ways to ensure that no one in our community has to face challenges alone. We're glad you're here, grateful for your support, and excited to see what we can accomplish together in the year to come.

Onward,

Scott Rumpsa | CEO

Program Updates

Financial Wellness

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We’re all about meeting people where they are - learning their unique stories, challenges, and hopes. And we’re all about lowering barriers so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow. For many of our guests, transportation challenges make it difficult to access support. Through our partnership with Herrick District Library, our Outreach team is able to offer case management services in a location that works for our guests!

Over the last few months, we were excited to add drop-in Rental Counseling to our services at Herrick! Rachel, our Financial Wellness Counselor, is onsite at the library every week, and has helped 27 neighbors with credit counseling, housing information, tenant rights, and more. Rachel and our Outreach team work in tandem to coordinate services, so that more of our neighbors can find the safe, stable housing they deserve.

Community Kitchen

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During the busy holiday season, our Community Kitchen team was determined to provide the food and connection that makes guests feel at home and the holiday season feel bright. Staff and volunteers served Thanksgiving brunch, providing more than 350 meals (an average day is around 190 meals)! The team also packed 130 sack lunches - equipping our Outreach team to share meals with our neighbors experiencing homelessness who weren’t able to join us at the Kitchen.

The holidays can be especially lonely for neighbors who lack a community of support. We’re grateful for the many hands that make the Community Kitchen a warm and welcoming space so that all of our neighbors have a place to go for food and connection.

Outreach

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Shelley* experienced homelessness for many years. Struggling with addiction, Shelley and her daughter were separated. Over the last year, Shelley connected with recovery resources, mental health services, and worked alongside our team to access critical food, supplies, and secure a housing voucher. Last month, Shelley moved into safe, stable housing, and brought her daughter home - an incredible gift for our team to witness. Shelley and her daughter can now live together full time, and our team will provide support and connection as Shelley continues to build stability.

Food Club

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The Preschool Enrichment Class at First Presbyterian visited us at Food Club last month! Students learned about food access and ways that we can all support neighbors who struggle to afford healthy food. Their class helped stock-the-shelves with donations that they collected, recycled boxes, and learned about Lakeshore Food Rescue!

We love seeing new generations join the movement to build a stronger, healthier community. We’re grateful for the parents, teachers, and community members who are working hard to teach our community’s kids about the importance of food and connection!

Special Feature!

Holland Community Garden!

Have you heard of the Holland Community Garden? Powered by volunteer gardeners, the Community Garden grows local produce year-round, providing fresh, healthy food for the Food Club and Community Kitchen! Even during these cold winter months, the team at the Garden is busy growing sweet potatoes in the hoop house.

January eNews