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Filling Empty Bowls
20th annual Soup Luncheons raise $14,000 for Food Programs
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Sixty gallons of soup. Bread, rolls, biscuits and cookies. Twenty participating restaurants and caterers. Twenty-seven sponsors. One hundred eighty volunteers.
The result was more than $14,000 raised for TrueNorth Food Programs at the 20th annual Empty Bowls Soup Luncheons on October 3 at the TrueNorth Service Center in Fremont and October 4 at the Newaygo County Commission on Aging in White Cloud. ParVox Technology was the lead sponsor, and a record-breaking 20 Stuff the Cart grocery carts of food were purchased and donated.
“The impact of Empty Bowls is that many families, children and seniors we serve will not go hungry thanks to our community’s generosity," said Mark Kraus, TrueNorth Community Liaison and Development Director.
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The volunteers who took part were from Spectrum Health, Nestlé Gerber, the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Office, Fremont Police Department, White Cloud Police Department and others. The handmade ceramic bowls for patrons were created and/or decorated by Newaygo County art students and concerned individuals.
The TrueNorth Food Programs, which include our walk-in, self-serve Food Pantry, served 18,881 individuals in 2018. The Food Pantry served 8,814 individuals from more than 3,600 households this year through June.
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Staying Warm: Coats for Kids (& Adults)
Donate coats through October 28; distribution slated November 2
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| A donation to Coats for Kids (& Adults), a TrueNorth community service, helps ensure that people in Newaygo County stay warm this winter.
New or gently used coats can be donated through October 28 at 12 locations in Fremont, Grant, Hesperia, Newaygo and White Cloud. You can also make a monetary donation online or by check.
The Coats for Kids (& Adults) distribution is Saturday, November 2, from 9 a.m. to noon at the TrueNorth Service Center, 6308 S. Warner Avenue in Fremont. Each person receiving a coat must be present and either attend school or reside in Newaygo County; participating adults must bring a photo ID.
“Last year, 800 children and adults received winter coats through the program,” said Mike Voyt, Volunteer and Special Projects Coordinator for TrueNorth Community Services. “We are expecting to serve at least that many, if not more, this year.”
Coats for Kids (& Adults) is sponsored, in part, by The Gerber Foundation and the Fremont Area Community Foundation.
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Wanted: Adult Mentors for Children
TrueMentors seeks to meet youth need under new leadership
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| TrueNorth Community Services’ mentoring programs have new leadership as they head into the fall looking for 22 mentors for Newaygo County children.
“I’m really looking forward to making a difference in this community and in the lives of the children involved with our programming,” said Lisa Brown, the new TrueMentors Program Director.
Brown, a Western Michigan University graduate, is joined by Hannah Covert, our Mentoring Support Specialist and an Olivet Nazarene University graduate.
TrueMentors includes community-based, one-on-one adult-to-child mentoring across Newaygo County; student-to-student site-based programming in Hesperia Community Schools; and the TrueBlue Academy in Newaygo in partnership with Newaygo Public Schools and the Newaygo Police Department.
There are 13 children awaiting adult matches in TrueMentors' community-based program; and nine children are awaiting mentors for TrueBlue. To get involved, contact Brown at (231) 924-0641, ext. 109, or lbrown@truenorthservices.org.
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Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Month
Senior Thanksgiving, Harvest Baskets and Mobile Food Pantry part of outreach
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| Fighting food insecurity, providing everyone a place to call home and ending poverty are part of our daily efforts at TrueNorth Community Services.
Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Month in November helps us raise awareness about these important matters of safety and security for our participants.
Besides our Coats for Kids (& Adults) distribution at TrueNorth on November 2, other events include:
- Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon, 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 13, at the TrueNorth Service Center, 6308 S. Warner Avenue in Fremont. RSVP by November 1 by contacting Jennifer Zimmerman at jzimmerman@truenorthservices.org or (231) 924-0641, ext. 151.
- Senior Harvest Baskets, food and personal care item deliveries to Newaygo County seniors in need, on Friday, November 15. Donations are accepted through November 1 at TrueNorth. Apply by November 1 by contacting Zimmerman at (231) 924-0641, ext. 151, or email jzimmerman@truenorthservices.org.
- The Feeding America West Michigan Mobile Food Pantry visits TrueNorth on Wednesday, November 27. Registration is at 9 a.m. and distribution is at 10 a.m.
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| Newaygo County Day of Caring
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| Camp Newaygo kicked off construction of a new pavilion for its community programs at the Newaygo County 2019 United Way Day of Caring on October 3. Coordinated by United Way of the Lakeshore – Newaygo County, there were 30 volunteers from Chemical Bank, Fremont Rotary Club, Love INC of Newaygo County, Magna Mirrors, Meijer and Newaygo County Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect. Also, a dozen students from the Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency built four picnic tables for the project.
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- Coats for Kids (& Adults) collection, now through October 28
- Halloweekend, October 25-27
- Trick or Trot 5K Run/Walk, October 26
- Feeding America West Michigan Mobile Food Pantry, October 30
- Coats for Kids (& Adults) distribution, November 2
- Children's Christmas Programs & Toys for Tots collection, November 4-December 2
- Camp Newaygo Fall Volunteer Day, November 9
- Krop for Kids, November 9
- Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon(s), November 13
- Senior Harvest Baskets, November 15
- Friday Piano Showcase, November 15
- Ridge Specialties' Thanksgiving Bake Sale, November 16 (order deadline); November 26-27 (order pickup)
- Circles Newaygo County Big View Meeting, November 21
- Feeding America West Michigan Mobile Food Pantry, November 27
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