Yesterday, CEO Scott Rumpsa met with Lauren Edwards of Fox 17: West Michigan, to talk about the expansion of Lakeshore Food Rescue! With our partners at Ottawa Food, we're gearing up to use the nationally recognized Food Rescue Hero app to redirect even more good, surplus food away from the landfill and into communities.
WHTC: Hunger Awareness Weekend
Tune into last week's WHTC Talk of the Town episode where our very own Assistant Director of Food Access, Chara Bouma-Prediger, and Annual Funds Manager Shanna Van Kempen speak on all of the events taking place this weekend during Holland's Hunger Awareness, and how you can get involved!
May 2023 eNewsletter
Program Updates
Outreach
In partnership with Community Mental Health, we added a Recovery Coach, Joy, to our Outreach Team in 2022 - a targeted approach to help remove barriers for guests as they work towards stability. Already, we’re seeing the impact of deep relationship building, and are able to provide specialized support and greater connection to mental health resources.
Joy recently met with another local recovery coach, Angela (name changed for privacy) who was formerly unhoused and living in the area. Angela shared that Community Action House gave her respect, dignity, and was a welcoming source of help for her and her children, during a time that she felt undeserving of support. Because of Action House, Angela said that she began to believe in herself and her ability to “do hard things and accomplish goals.” After sharing her story with Joy, Angela gave her a big hug, and shared that she “could not have made it, if it wasn’t for Community Action House.”
Everyone deserves a safe home, good food, and a community that believes in them. Stories like Angela’s are why we’re here - and it's only possible because of neighbors like you!
Financial Wellness
Last month, our team wrapped up our 12 week long VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. VITA Volunteers help qualifying neighbors complete their tax returns at no cost!
Our crew of 19 volunteers prepared 340 tax returns, resulting in $322,000 in federal refunds and $231,000 in state refunds - a grand total of $553,000 brought back into our community! When learning about the impact VITA made for guests, one volunteer shared:
"That is so unreal to think we helped clients get that much money back for themselves and their family along with most of that money probably going back into our local community... Over a half million dollars at 350 returns comes to an average of almost $1,600 per return. That makes every minute we volunteer for the VITA program just that much more exciting to know the financial help we have given so many. I enjoy knowing the positive financial impact on the clients we serve. You made my day."
Food Club
Chef Lindsay Payleitner of GROW Café + Bistro worked as a kitchen specialist at the Community Kitchen last winter. This year, she and her co-owner/husband, Alec, volunteered at the Food Club. Those experiences inspired them to spearhead a new pilot program for our Food Club guests!
Each week this February and March, their team strategically chose a few hundred pounds of rescued food and, like culinary magic, brought it back a few days later as meals packaged in oven-ready tins. By the end of the pilot run, they’d prepared over 300 meals for more than 1,000 neighbors! It takes outside-the-box thinking of community members like Lindsay and Alec to sustain and expand our impact at Food Club. We’re so grateful for their support! Read more about their creative meals and inspiration here.
Community Kitchen
Each week, volunteer teams from Preferred Employment & Living Supports and Brothers & Sisters Homes through Holland Deacons Conference join us at the Community Kitchen! Many of these volunteers attend a bowling league every Thursday, and last month, our Kitchen team showed up to cheer them on!
We love that the Community Kitchen provides more than a meal, and is a space where guests, volunteers, and staff in all walks of life can build community. Interested in joining our volunteer team? Visit communityactionhouse.org/volunteer to sign up today!
In Case You Missed It
CAH News & Updates
WHTC: Earth Day with Lakeshore Food Rescue - Community Action House
Tune in as our Food Access Program Manager, Chara, and Food Rescue Specialist, Aubree, discuss Lakeshore Food Rescue, celebrate Earth Day, and discuss ways to get involved on WHTC's Talk of the Town.
Holland approves plan to sell land for affordable housing project
Holland City Council approved a plan to sell surplus property to two local nonprofit organizations. The proposal allows Dwelling Place and Community Action House to purchase the city-owned property at 345 Kollen Park Drive. The nonprofits plan to create an affordable housing development.
Ottawa County determines ARPA money recipients
Community Action House, in partnership with Ottawa Food, the county's food policy council, is expanding their Lakeshore Food Rescue Initiative with funding through Ottawa County and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Read our 2022 Annual Report!
We're proud to share our 2022 Annual Report! Read stories of life-altering financial progress, health improvements, and moments of joy, all made possible by our community.
Save the Date!
March with us in the Tulip Time Parade!
Represent Community Action House at the Tulip Time Parade on Saturday, May 13, 12pm-4pm!
We are looking for volunteers to walk with us, hold our banner, and wave to spectators on the parade route as representatives of Community Action House. Learn more and sign up here!
Interested in learning more about our Affordable Housing Project with Dwelling Place?
Attend a community engagement session at the Kollen Park Bandshell on Tuesday, May 16, 12pm-3pm.
Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, a nonprofit community development corporation, has been working with Action House on a potential new affordable housing development. Join us on May 16 for a Project Design Open House! Learn more.
Join us for Holland's Hunger Awareness Weekend!
Saturday, May 20 - Sunday, May 21.
This month, two national events take place in Holland to support local food access. Action House is grateful to receive both direct food donations and financial support from these events, and we invite you to participate!
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, Saturday, May 20, is led by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Place nonperishable items in your mailbox before 9am on May 20, and postal workers, along with volunteers, will collect the items to distribute to local food access organizations!
The Annual CROP Hunger Walk, Sunday, May 21, is a nationwide movement sponsored by Church World Services (CWS) to raise funds to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Join us at Centennial Park from 1-3pm as a walker, to drop off food donations, or to learn more about local nonprofits working to improve food access! Learn more here.
Join the Movement
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Donate Monthly
Provide a stable foundation for our service each month.
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Use your skills to make a difference.
Culinary Magic: Turning Rescued Food into Meal-Kits for our neighbors!
2022 Annual Report
WHTC: Earth Day with Lakeshore Food Rescue
Tune in as our Food Access Program Manager, Chara, and Food Rescue Specialist, Aubree, discuss Lakeshore Food Rescue, Lakeshore Food Rescue’s sustainable practices, celebrate Earth Day, and discuss ways to get involved with Community Action House on WHTC’s Talk of the Town.
April 2023 eNewsletter
Celebrating National Volunteer Week, April 17-22!
We're so grateful for the hundreds of volunteers who donate their time and talents to power our service. This past year, 905 volunteers chose to serve with us, filling roles like Food Rescue Drivers, Food Sorters & Shelf Stockers, Bicycle Repair experts, and Community Kitchen cooks, ultimately logging 42,404 hours of volunteer service.
CEO Update - 3 Big Announcements!
As a community-powered nonprofit, we’re chartered to think and work creatively to respond to community trends and opportunities. Our core values drive us to design our work with our guests’ needs & perspectives at the center of our decision-making, and to work together with our entire community to find the better way, in areas big and small. Today, I am excited to share about three big new initiatives. You’re an important part of our work, so I want to keep you informed on the big steps we’re taking to better serve our community!
Action House Nominated for Best Non-Profit Organization
We're honored to have been nominated in the top 3 for the 2022 Community Choice Awards Best of Holland in the Nonprofit/Charity Organization category!
Thank you to everyone who nominated and voted for us as Best Nonprofit/Charity - we appreciate the recognition and are extremely grateful for our community's continued support.
March 2023 eNewsletter
We remain committed to standing alongside our neighbors in the critical moment between a challenge and a crisis, to ensure that all in our community have the resources they need to achieve stability. This work is only possible because of people like you, and we're incredibly grateful for your belief and support.
Action House raises $3,416 for I Am Academy!
Community Action House is committed to taking active steps to create a more just, inclusive community. As a part of this effort, in 2021 we began holding dedicated shopping days at the CAH Resale Store, donating a portion or all of the sales to different organizations on the frontlines of addressing racial equality.
February 2023 eNewsletter
We believe that our community’s biggest asset is our people. Everyone deserves a safe home. Everyone deserves good food. Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a brighter future. And everyone needs a community that believes in them - their worth, their dignity, their possibility. We’re grateful for the multitude of individuals & partners working alongside us to create a community where this is true for all of our neighbors.
WHTC: A Partnership of Nonprofits
Tune in as our Food Access Program Manager, Chara, and I Am Academy Founder, Henry Cherry discuss how our partnership together has evolved since 2020, the upcoming Resale Store Takeover Event to support I Am Academy, and other ways to get involved on WHTC’s Talk of the Town.
Fustini's Selects Community Action House for Their New Fustini's Cares Initiative
Refresh: Hygiene and Hope Turns Four this Month!
Celebrating Black History Month with I Am Academy
Community Action House: Reimagining Our Approach & Expanding Our Impact
Our partners at the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce are helping spread the word about our efforts to build a stronger, healthier community!
Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day Reflection: Seeing the Humanity in Our Neighbors
January 2023 eNewsletter: "This was the best Christmas present we could have ever imagined."
As we enter a new year, we’re looking back on 2022 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.
