Making a Difference

Family Promise has recently let us know that they have made the decision to discontinue their rotating shelter that we host here at church three times a year. We will be figuring out what volunteering looks like for 2025 as they have asked us to provide meals at their Wyoming facility for the weeks we had been scheduled to host the rotating shelter. You can read more about this change in the email that was sent to our volunteer list on Oct. 24.
Contact  Beth Vanover, Chuck Clemence, Chuck Hahn, Janet Kudirka or Marny Danz with questions.

Partnership with Thornapple Covenant Church and Cascade Fellowship
Working with our neighbor church, Cascade Fellowship, we are hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive every other month. Go HERE to make an appointment (search by zip code and select desired date at Thornapple or Cascade Fellowship – there are multiple slots for each time so spouses can sign up together, you just need two accounts).
Volunteers will be needed to help with the drive: loading/unloading supplies; greeting and screening donors; serving post-donations snacks.
Contact Beth Van Over with questions.

Blood Drive Dates, 11am-6pm each day: 

• Tuesday, Nov. 26 at Thornapple. Sign up to help HERE.
• Monday, January 20, 2025 at Cascade Fellowship
• Monday, March 24, 2025 at Thornapple
• Monday, May 19, 2025 at Cascade Fellowship
• Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at Thornapple

Note: Donors can give every 56 days so these are spaced so you can give each time.

Meets Tuesdays, Noon-3pm usually twice a month at Thornapple. Contact Janet Kudirka for dates. The group is working on dresses, shorts and sanitary kits. All help welcome, you do not need to have a sewing machine.
Donates of 45" wide 100% cotton flannel for sanitary kits and fabric suitable dresses and shorts are needed and can be brought to the church office. 

Would you consider being a pen pal to an incarcerated person? Cards For Prisoners is a program that links prisoners who would like a Christian pen pal to encourage them emotionally and spiritually. The volunteer pen pal is anonymous in that the prisoner only knows their first name and does not know their address. As a pen pal, you would write to a prisoner about once a month, and they can write back using the Cards For Prisoners address and it is forwarded to you. If you would like more information about the program, Chuck Clemence is the Thornapple contact at 616-406-8193 and clemence55@hotmail.com. 

Saturday Dinners | We serve dinners at Degage one Saturday a month from 5:30-7:30pm. The food is provided by Degage and supervisors give direction. You don’t have to serve every month. If you would like to be added to the list of volunteers, contact Karen Knister.

The Love Mercy Do Justice team is encouraging individuals and groups who like to work with their hands to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, Family Promise and Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF). These three organizations have opportunities for men and women to work on new houses as well as renovating old houses and manufactured homes. The jobs require varying levels of skill. Some jobs involve demolition, painting, carpentry, landscaping, general clean up, etc. The work is often simple, requiring no previous skills. Other projects require some skill, but supervisors teach whatever is needed to accomplish the tasks.
 
For Individuals: You do not have to wait for a group opportunity to volunteer. Individuals can help at any time. Simply contact the organization you want to volunteer with to learn more:

• Habitat builds new homes for low-income families. To volunteer at Habitat, sign up HERE.
• Family Promise renovates manufactured homes for low-income families. To help, email Volunteer Coordinator Lily Fossel (or call 616.308.8917)
• ICCF renovates homes for low incomes families. To help, email Volunteer Coordinator Sheryl Baas (or call 616.336.9333 x616)