CARES in Farmington Hills | caresfh.org |

July-August 2023

Serving Farmington-Farmington Hills-Livonia-Northville-Novi-Redford Twp-Southfield-West Bloomfield

The Annual Duck Race and Family Fun Day is Back! August 2nd - from 3-7 pm. Get your duck tickets now!



Your neighbors who come to CARES each month are depending on the proceeds from this year's Annual Duck Race and Family Fun Day.

Over 600 families now rely on CARES for monthly food assistance. That number is growing. We distributed 36,449 lbs of food in May. We cannot sustain this growth without your help.

Please, donate, buy duck tickets and come on out to support CARES your local community agency providing food to those who need it.

Remember the duck that wins the race earns $100 in groceries each week from Busch's Markets. That's $5200 worth of food! Buy your ducks today from participating organizations including



-CARES Market

- Apothecary Coffee Shop

-The Beauty Bar

- Farmington Public Library - both branches

- Farmington Farmers' Market every Saturday

August 2 - Duck Race and Family Fun Day

Schedule: 3-7pm

Bring your picnic blankets, baskets, lawn chairs and or take advantage of the Food Truck Service BUT whatever you do, bring the family and

Come on out for some good old fashioned fun!

3-6:00 Food Trucks Available

3-5:00 Kids' Activities - YMCA

5-6:00 Concert -Farmington Public Library

6:00 Corporate Decoy Duck Race

6:30 Community Duck Race -

Winning duck earns $5200 Busch's Groceries for 1 year

Tickets available at participating organizations through Aug. 1!

The Annual Duck Race and Family Fun Day is made possible by our Golden Duck Sponsors - Omron, Nissan and Busch's Fresh Food Market AND Big Splash Sponsors: RF Connect, Bergstrom Insurance Agency, Weingartz, Ward Church THANK YOU!

The Annual Duck Race and Family Fun Day is made possible by our Golden Duck Sponsors - Omron, Nissan and Busch's Fresh Food Market AND Big Splash Sponsors: RF Connect, Bergstrom Insurance Agency, Weingartz, Ward Church THANK YOU!

CARES + Local Businesses = A Stronger Community

Ron and Ken Weingartz and family, in business since 1945 and in Farmington Hills since 1993, are longtime supporters of CARES. In a recent tour of the Food Pantry, Ken Weingartz says, "We realized how important CARES is to the larger community. We watched people walk through and saw how friendly volunteers were--the impressive commitment to service. It's not just a box program. When people can walk through and choose what they want or need it's so much better." Both brothers were happy to support the Annual Duck Race and Family Fun Day to help raise money to keep CARES operations going for another year. "CARES is a service we can really get on board with. We try to support organizations in all the cities where we are located, but there is definitely something special about CARES."

Please stop HERE to see how you can help CARES keep helping people...

CARES and community partner Bergstrom Insurance Agency are teaming up and joining forces to win $10,000 from Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance! They’ve already committed $5,000 to us because the Bergstrom teams donates to CARES every month. Now they’ve challenged our community to get 500 votes by July 31 to double that donation to $10,000! It’s simple and easy to vote. Let’s show them what our community is made of, vote here: to earn $10,000 with a Make More Happen Award. That money will help us keep feeding those in our communities who are in the most need.

Here's a simple way to be a CARES Giver:

Click here to Vote for CARES before July 31!

Scroll down to the comments section and make a simple comment about CARES. That earns us an extra vote!

We're counting on you - Be a CARESgiver today. It's easy-Just VOTE.

CARES and Farmington: Partners who CARE!

Farmington Mayor Sara Bowman with "real ducks" at Shiawassee Park, site of the Annual Duck Race and Family Fund Day.

"I'm so glad the Duck Race is back! It's so much fun--everyone standing in the river together, releasing the ducks and raising money for CARES, and it does so much good to help others."

"People don't always think there is need in a community like ours, but so many families are struggling to make ends meet. Many are just one paycheck away from disaster. This is a fun way for residents from all of our participating cities to come together, have fun and help fund the good work CARES does."



CARES and Farmington Hills: Great Partners

Farmington Hills Councilwoman Jacke Boleware at Heritage Park.

Farmington Hills City Councilwoman Jackie Boleware is grateful that CARES is here to help Farmington Hills residents. “CARES is a great community partner for the city. They do so much for those who need assistance. Even the name CARES shows concern and empathy."

“The Duck Race is going to be a fun event,” Ms. Boleware says. “It will raise money to provide needed services to people in Farmington Hills and all the communities served. Plus, it’s a great family event and it’s just fun to see the ducks bobbing down the river!”

The Duck Race is back. Did you buy your duck ticket yet?

The Duck Race and Family Fun Day is always one of the most exciting summer events," says Councilman Joe LaRussa. "We lost it during COVID. I'm glad to see it coming back.

"More people are finding out about CARES. The burden of success means that more support is needed to provide the same amount of food people have been getting in the past."

City of Farmington Councilman Joe LaRussa at Flanders Park.

We have the best volunteers...

Meet Pam Lemley:

Building Relationships With Guests and Volunteers

Describing the first time she walked into CARES, Pam Lemley said, “Everyone was so bright, happy and respectful. I remember wishing it had been like that when I was working.”

Pam is responsible for scheduling CARES’ 100 volunteers in the food pantry, stockroom and for special events. She also fills in wherever she is needed. “You meet people when they are very vulnerable-you must be empathic and make them feel comfortable,” she said. “You develop relationships that are so rewarding.”

Pam and her husband Vel, also a CARES volunteer, live in Farmington. They are both retired and enjoy doting on their five grandchildren.

Save these dates:

July 15 Annual Classic Car Show at CARES Parking Lot

August 1,2,3 Youth United Summer Program at CARES

August 2 Annual Duck Race and Family Fun Day at Shiawassee Park 3-7 PM

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers. We are now fully staffed in our Market and Pantry.

We are ONLY looking for volunteers who can work weekend events and at other special events

*selling tickets

*sharing CARES' story,

*helping to raise the funds needed to feed the families in our communities.

If you are interested in working on these tasks please fill out a volunteer application at caresfh.org/volunteer

Your donations are ALWAYS needed and welcomed!

We are currently distributing over 30,000 lbs of food each month to over 600 households. We need your help to keep up with the demand.

Visit www.caresfh.org/donate or click on the button below.

ATTENTION: CARES Market Summer Hours:

Open Mon-Fri from 10 am - 4 pm.

CARES in Farmington Hills | WWW.caresfh.org

Newsletter Volunteer Staff:

Cheryl Willette, Barbara Koch