Community Action House

Last week we celebrated 3 years of Food Club during CommunityFest! CommunityFest is an annual celebration alongside our Food Club members, full of fun activities, local food, and connection to resources! Thank you to our friends from Holland Public Safety, Critter Barn,Zeeland, HeartSafe Holland and more, for bringing fun to Food Club! And a big THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this event possible! Your support means that we can continue to celebrate with, nourish, and empower our neighbors.

Earlier this month at Refresh, our team & our partners at First United Methodist Church hosted a Mobile Secretary of State Office (Mobile SOS) and a Voter Registration event! Each of these opportunities helped remove transportation barriers for unhoused neighbors to connect them to critical resources that help build stability. The Mobile SOS, provided by the Secretary of State of Michigan, offers almost all of the same services as a brick-and-mortar location. Our team connected 14 guests with the Mobile SOS, providing support as they completed the necessary paperwork to replace their ID, renew their driver's license, or update their legal address– items that are critical in finding employment, housing, and accessing other essential services. Our friends at the League of Women Voters also sponsored a Voter Registration event! After working with the county clerk to understand the documents needed for people experiencing homelessness to register to vote, they were able to connect 8 guests to the resources necessary to become a registered voter, with an additional 30 neighbors learning about the importance of voting. We are so grateful for creative partnerships like these that help break down barriers for our neighbors!

Today marks three years of service at the Food Club & Opportunity Hub! In 2021, our community stepped up with us to reimagine what healthy food access could look like. Thousands of families served, connections made, and meals provided later, we’re reflecting with gratitude on the stories of hope, health, and happiness that neighbors like you make possible. In other communities, food is either free at a pantry or full price at the grocery store. In our community, we’ve chosen a different option - sustainable, empowering, and welcoming service so that all of our neighbors can thrive. We couldn’t be more grateful for a community that believes in and powers this work. As we look ahead at the next three years, we know that neighbors like you will continue to provide the belief and support we need to meet our community's most pressing needs. Thank you for standing alongside us. If you haven't yet joined in our work to build a stronger, healthier community, jump in today! Visit https://lnkd.in/gvmUriz8 to learn more.

Since opening three years ago, more than 1,370 volunteers like Chantou have donated their time to power the Food Club & Opportunity Hub. From stocking shelves to greeting guests with a smile, volunteers turn compassion into action to empower families who are building brighter futures. Whether you joined as an individual or “adopted” a shift as a corporate or church team, your generosity makes all of our work possible. Thank you for being our community's expression of care for families who need it most! Ready to join our incredible team of volunteer heroes? Sign up as a Food Club cashier, or explore other volunteer positions, and meet wonderful people like Chanthou while serving our neighbors: https://loom.ly/nqg-FXc

Since the opening of the Food Club & Opportunity Hub, we’ve seen our membership grow - from 7,462 neighbors served in 2022 to 10,594+ neighbors served last year. We know that families in our community continue to face a complex set of challenges - from the rising cost of living, to a lack of affordable housing, to household budgets that can't keep up. As families struggle to hold it all together, we remain committed to ensuring that all of our neighbors have the resources and support they need to thrive. We wish that no one in our community had to face these challenges - but we're glad to have Food Club as a resource and a stepping stone to a more stable future, and incredibly grateful for the network of support that makes this service possible. From dedicated volunteers to donors and collaborative partners, we see the impact of your support every day. Thank you for believing in our mission and for walking alongside us as we nourish, equip, and empower our neighbors!

For Lynne* and her family, Food Club has been more than just a place to access food—it’s been a bridge to healthier living and exploring new flavors they previously couldn’t afford. ""At Food Club, my family has been able to have access to a lot of new fruits, vegetables, meats, and many other foods we would have otherwise never tried,"" Lynne shared. One recent trip to Food Club sparked a special moment for Lynne and her family. While browsing the fresh produce, Lynne noticed several ripe mangoes. With a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, she decided to take them home, freeze them, and turn them into a big batch of mangonada! This delicious frozen treat was more than just a refreshing snack—it became an opportunity for Lynne to show her kids that healthy eating can be delicious too! We love to see families equipping the next generation with the tools and knowledge needed to build a stronger, healthier life! Thank you for supporting us over the last three years, and making stories like Lynne's possible. *Name and photo changed for privacy

This week we're celebrating three years of service at the Food Club & Opportunity Hub! Since 2021, volunteers, partners, and guests have worked together to create a space where families can find the healthy food, connection, and support that they need to thrive. When we look back at the past three years, we're overwhelmed with gratitude for a community that believes in a brighter future for all of our neighbors. Join us this week as we reflect on stories of impact, service growth, and ways that our community has shown up for one another! Together we offer food, support, and partnership on a way forward for the families who need it most. None of what we do is possible without a community that believes in and supports our work. You can help nourish, equip, and empower our neighbors - visit https://lnkd.in/gvmUriz8 to join the movement today!

Did you shop with us September 15th - October 15th? You helped us raise $1,196.38 for Latin Americans United for Progress, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month! LAUP is an organization striving to empower Latinos to create a better community for all through advocacy, celebration, and education. Learn more about our partnership with LAUP, and how you can support them outside of Hispanic Heritage Month, by visiting https://loom.ly/PXqhOug

We're thrilled to announce that Community Action House's Lakeshore Food Rescue program has been honored as a 2024 West Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year by the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum! This recognition reflects the passion and hard work of our Food Rescue network - from our team of staff and volunteers, to our food donors, to our nonprofit partners. Thank you for making this work possible! Our program is on track to rescue 3.5 million pounds of surplus food by the end of 2024—increasing food access while reducing waste. We believe that good food belongs with people, not landfills. Thank you to all those working alongside us to build a stronger, healthier community AND planet! And thank you to the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum for highlighting our work!

If you've visited Food Club, you've seen that members can choose from a variety of items - fresh produce, dairy, eggs, meat, and pantry staples. We care about providing choices, and offering a diginified experience where guests can select the food that works best for their families. Service like this is only possible through the generosity of so many community partners, including our friends at A.D. Bos Vending Services! A. D. Bos has been a generous supporter for more than two years, providing over 75,000 pounds of food to stock the shelves at Food Club - what an incredible expression of care for our neighbors! And to top it off, they send groups of volunteers who help power our work. We're so grateful for their partnership and generosity. Thank you A. D. Bos, for helping nourish our neighbors!