December 14^th, 2015

Bracing for the cold
Happy New Year 2016
4500 People Get Special Holiday Food from UCOM
Box-Truck loads full of food from Mars Hill Bible Church
Year-end UCOM Billboard on I-131
Santa and Helpers Deliver 120 Gifts to Seniors

Bracing for the cold

Mittens and scarves, caps and coats, oh my! The wintry weather that is not here yet will be easier to bear for our neighbors thanks to Lee High School’s Warm Drive that resulted in five big cartons of winter wear for children and adults. Plymouth United Church of Christ donated the “ornaments” from their mitten tree for UCOM to share with neighbors. A knitter in Florida and one in South Bend, IN, sent winter wear they had worked on all year. Many thanks to those who are keeping children warm this winter.

Happy New Year 2016

UCOM will be closed Friday, January 1, to allow staff to regroup, enjoy family and friends, and prepare for a year of even greater impact as 2016 gives us a clean slate to participate with more of our neighbors, more non-profits and more volunteers and donor partners to produce even better outcomes for people in our community.

In the News This Week for January 4-8, Executive Director Bruce Roller will unveil his goals for the first 100 days of 2016. Stay tuned for the forecast.

More than 4500 People Get Special Holiday Food from UCOM

The numbers are in. UCOM supporters provided 201 Thanksgiving and 874 Christmas baskets for our neighbors in 2015. Generous individuals, churches and companies supplied food for special holiday meals for 2588 children and 1915 adults—a total of 4503 unique individuals who might not otherwise have enjoyed holiday meals.

In addition UCOM volunteers and staff registered 3662 children for Toys for Tots, the popular Marine Corp program, and for The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree.

Thanks to a faithful cadre of volunteers thousands of people in our community will enjoy holiday delights that will make many lives brighter in this Season of Light.

Box-Truck loads Full of Food from Mars Hill Bible Church

Our warehouse runneth over…for a while. For the second week in a row Mars Hill Bible Church’s congregants filled hundreds of bags with non-perishable groceries that UCOM volunteers will pick up, unload at our warehouse and then stock onto shelves in the UCOM Food Pantry this week.  Last year the efforts of the people of Mars Hill reaped four loaded big box trucks worth of food. When we all do our best, there is enough. UCOM gives thanks for the generosity and compassion of our friends at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville.

Year-end UCOM Billboard on I-131

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from the law firm of Mica, Myers, Beckett and Jones, UCOM is letting its light shine with a digital billboard on highway 131 near the 76th Street ramp. The billboard poses the dilemma, “Have a Latte or Feed him, You Choose.” The “him” is a beautiful wide-eyes baby boy. It is true that, for a donation of $5 (the cost of a low-end latte), UCOM can provide groceries for 10 meals.

GR Outdoor created the artwork and wording from an idea from the UCOM staff. Raising awareness about the huge gap in the economic spectrum in our community is the first step in helping all of our neighbors to feel responsible for aiding each other in whatever ways we can.

Santa and Helpers Deliver 120 Gifts to Seniors

Twelve volunteer “Santas” and their helpers will deliver gifts to seniors in our community this week. Thanks to Home Instead’s  coordination of giving, 120 seniors will receive gifts of new comforters, slippers, sheet sets, and other items that they have requested.  Friends of UCOM’s neighbors have volunteered their services to make ten deliveries each.  In this beloved community that we build together, everyone gets to enjoy the season.

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