This agency will pursue a practice where the education, health and human service needs of residents within our service area are addressed without regard to age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, or any other classification or category. | | |
New Beginnings
August has always felt like a season of new beginnings as kids head back to school, families settle into new routines, and here at Christian Neighbors, new opportunities arise every day for us to walk alongside our neighbors as they take steps forward towards stability.
This month, we're celebrating “new beginnings” happening all around us: new business partners stepping up and making an impact, a new parking lot expansion, our back-to-school-event to help with the new school year, a new stand by generator for our food pantry, a new donor who is quietly supporting our mission and programs. There are so many in this community who keep showing up to make these beginnings possible and we are grateful.
Thank you all.
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Jennifer Collins
Executive Director
| | Growing to Meet the Need: Parking Lot Expansion on the Horizon | | |
Every day, families, seniors, and neighbors in need walk through our doors seeking food, financial assistance, or a class that might change the trajectory of their lives. Christian Neighbors is proud to be that safe place for our community and we’re expanding our campus to welcome even more neighbors, safely and comfortably.
Demand for our core programs - food pantry services and emergency financial assistance, has risen sharply in recent years. And our Education Resource Center (ERC), now three years old, has become a hub of activity, hosting free classes, workshops, and resource programs for Allegan and Kalamazoo County residents every month.
With just 41 parking spaces serving staff, volunteers, and everyone we serve across both buildings, our campus has been outgrowing its lot. On busy days, visitors have been forced to park at neighboring businesses and cross or walk alongside a busy road to reach us which is a safety hazard for seniors, families with young children, and anyone with mobility challenges. The ERC does have some lower-level accessible parking today, but not nearly enough to meet demand, especially for those who cannot navigate stairs.
Christian Neighbors is expanding our on-site parking lot by double! The project will:
• Eliminate overflow parking, removing the need for visitors to cross a busy road on
foot.
• Add more accessible, lower-level spaces near the ERC, so those who cannot
navigate stairs have safe, level entry to our programs.
• Meet current and future demand, ensuring capacity keeps pace with our growing
programs.
• Support our volunteers, making it easier and safer for our 80+ regular volunteers
who give their time
This isn’t just a concrete project - it’s an investment in dignity. Every neighbor who comes to us for food, rent and utility assistance, education, or support deserves to arrive safely and be welcomed without barriers. A safer, more accessible campus means more seniors, more families, and more individuals with mobility challenges can reach the help and hope we offer.
Final construction bids are coming in now, and we will be working on a timeline for completion.
This expansion is made possible in part by grants from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and Consumers Energy Foundation. If you’d like to support this project and help us build a safer, more welcoming campus for every neighbor who walks through our doors, contact Fund Development Manager Eric Hoffman at (269) 685-4166 ext. 100 or go to www.christianneighbors.org and click the donate button and note that your gift is for the parking expansion.
Christian Neighbors mission statement: We provide a safe place for people in our community who need food, rent and utility assistance, education, or other resources to help create stability in their lives.
| | Food Pantry: A Story of a New Start | | |
At Christian Neighbors the food pantry is more than just a place to pick up groceries. It is a doorway to a fresh new chapter for every client who walks through its doors. Here shelves are stocked with fresh produce and pantry staples paired with warm smiles, helping hands and resources that help people move forward. For many it is the first step towards stability and hope - a new beginning, a place where challenges are met with compassion and each visit holds the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
That promise could not be truer for one of our recent clients. A single mother with young children who had just left a domestic violent relationship, came to our pantry seeking help to keep her children’s bellies full and to maintain her new life as a single mom. Nervous to ask for help and fearful of being judged, she instead found case managers eager to listen, connect her with vital resources, and provide the essential staples she needed to feed her household. In that moment the pantry became more than a source of food, it became a lifeline. She found a safe place, and the first step towards her family’s fresh start and onto their new beginning.
Her journey is one of many to unfold here at Christian Neighbors each week. Every bag of groceries, every conversation, and every connection is part of a bigger mission; to walk alongside our neighbors as they face life’s challenges and embrace new beginnings. Here hope is not just offered but also nurtured. With the help of our community, we can continue to help those who walk through our doors not only with food but with encouragement and resources to help them build a brighter and secure future.
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Every bag of groceries, every conversation, and every connection is part of a bigger mission; to walk alongside our neighbors as they face life’s challenges and embrace new beginnings. | | Dyer Named New DK Coordinator | |
Christian Neighbors is excited to announce Cari Dyer as our new Demonstration Kitchen Coordinator.
Cari has served as our Demonstration Kitchen & Program Assistant for the past year and a half, and in her new role she'll lead all programming in the the Demo Kitchen at our Education Resource Center.
Curious what classes and programs are coming up? Check out our events calendar by clicking the button below.
| | | Christian Neighbors is partnering with the Red Cross to host a blood drive. There is a critical shortage in blood right now and we need your help to reach our goal of 50 donors to help with the shortage. The blood drive will be held in the event space (lower level) of our Education Resource Center. There will be yummy treats as a reward for giving at our site. Sign up for a slot using the button below. | |
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Clearing a criminal record provides a powerful new beginning, unlocking better employment, housing, and educational opportunities. An expungement can be a profound turning point in someone’s life and can help reshape their future. In prior expungement clinics, we have seen records that are being held over someone’s life for decades – even one from as far back as the 1960’s.
Expungement provides a fresh start – one that we hope will provide the confidence and dignity for folks to obtain higher education, stable housing, and impactful careers. We are proud to partner with the Allegan County Public Defender’s office again this year to offer a chance for any resident of the state of Michigan to clear their nonviolent criminal records. Ultimately, an expungement grants the freedom to be defined by who you are today and what you will become tomorrow, rather than by a history – sometimes several decades old. Expungement also helps communities thrive, as their residents with records are being lifted up – given a second chance to excel in their lives and communities.
If you know someone who needs this opportunity, please share the details below with them.
| Powering Through the Storm: Christian Neighbors Secures a New Standby Generator | | |
When the recent tornadoes tore through our area, Christian Neighbors lost power for several days. Behind the scenes, our staff worked around the clock, closely monitoring the temperatures in our freezers and refrigerators to keep thousands of pounds of protein, milk, butter, and other perishables within food safety standards. We were fortunate, the power was restored just in time, and we didn't lose that inventory. But it was close.
That close call made one thing clear: we need to be proactive.
Severe storms and unpredictable weather have made power outages more frequent in Allegan County, and each one puts our entire cold storage supply at risk. It's not just about what we might lose, either. We know from experience that when the power comes back on, the number of neighbors coming to us for help goes up. Families who lost their own refrigerated and frozen food during an outage turn to us for essentials like protein, milk, butter, and other staples - right at the moment our own supply is most vulnerable. Two crises collide at once: our food is at risk, and demand for it is rising.
A standby generator solves that problem. A standby generator switches on automatically the moment the power goes out, keeping our refrigeration and freezer systems running without interruption. That means no more late-night trips to check temperatures, no more anxious waiting to see if the power comes back in time, no more buying dry ice, and no more risk of losing the food our neighbors depend on. It's a simple upgrade with BIG impact: less waste, safer food storage, and uninterrupted service for our community during exactly the moments when we're needed most.
We're deeply grateful to the Allegan County Community Foundation for awarding Christian Neighbors a grant to help fund this important upgrade. Their support is helping us build lasting resilience into our operations, so no matter what the next storm brings, we'll be ready to keep serving our neighbors without missing a beat.
Thank you to the Allegan County Community Foundation, and to all of our supporters, for helping us protect what matters most: reliable access to safe, nutritious food for families in need.
| | Maximize Your Impact: Employer Matching & Volunteer Programs | | |
At Christian Neighbors, we are blessed with dedicated donors whose generosity transforms lives in the Plainwell, Otsego, and Martin communities. But did you know there are ways to amplify your contributions even further?
Employer Matching Gifts:
Take a cue from our newest donor, Jason F., who discovered that his employer matches donations. His $100 gift was doubled, allowing us to purchase twice as much food. Many employers offer similar programs, so check with your HR department to see if you can double your impact too!
Volunteer Hours Turn Into Dollars:
Volunteering doesn't just help us directly; it can also lead to additional funding. Some companies offer corporate volunteer hours, where employees can volunteer during work hours. These hours can sometimes be matched with donations from the employer, turning your time into valuable support for our mission.
How You Can Help:
- Inquire with your employer about matching gifts and volunteer programs.
- Join us as a volunteer and see how your efforts can multiply.
Your support is invaluable, and together, we can continue to make a significant difference in our community. Thank you for your unwavering commitment!
For questions about making a first time donation or becoming a reoccurring donor, volunteer opportunities and/or corporate service projects, please contact Eric Hoffman, Fund Development & Volunteer Manager at ehoffman@christianneighbors.org or call him at 269.685.4166 x 100.
| | Click on the staff name above to send an email to them. | | |
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