Helping Hands would like to extend a heart-felt Thank You to the Pokagon Fund for providing nearly $3,000 that was made available to L.A.D.D. (Living Alternatives for the Developmentally Disabled) in Dowagiac. They in turn use the funding to provide new clothing to their Dowagiac residents. Care-providers shopped for these residents throughout the summer and into the fall season purchasing new clothing essentials; everything from shoes, hoodies, pants and school clothes. Helping Hands is grateful to provide funding for these basic needs that some LADD residents could not afford after living expenses.
This funding allowed us to partner with L.A.D.D. and increase our outreach into the community.
The above photo shows our pantry food loaded for delivery to assist area senior citizens! Thanks to board members, Floyd and Cheryl, for their time and use of their truck. Both Rotary Villa and Indian Hills Apartments in Dowagiac received our food blessings. We appreciate many generous donors to our pantry!
Come visit Helping Hands Sidewalk Sale for your Halloween costumes and fall décor on Saturday, September 4th from 9am to 1pm during the Farmer’s Market. Helping Hands has over 300 costumes and accessories. The costumes are $3.00 each and accessories are a $1.00. Helping Hands will also be featuring a $2.00 bag sale on summer clothing as well as a jacket and sweatshirt sale! Helping Hands is located at 130 South Broadway Street in downtown Cassopolis. Proceeds from the store support our local food pantry and various outreach projects in the community. Get ready for the fall holidays and cooler weather!
COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER
Friday, September 3rd – Feeding America Truck – Pleasant View Church Saturday, September 4th – Halloween & Fall Sidewalk Days – 9am to 1pm Wednesday, September 8th – Senior Commodities Distribution Day – Helping Hands Monday, September 27th–Thursday, September 30th – $2 Bag Sale
On Saturday, January 23, 2021, Helping Hands was one of many area food pantries that received non-perishables during the annual Granger Community Church (GCC) Food Drop. We are very grateful to have GCC as one of our community partners in providing food to those in need, especially this year when times have been very difficult. Thank you for your continued generosity.
Personal Care and Sanitizing Items were dropped off today to the 42 residents at Stone Lake Manor. These items are really appreciated as so many of the residents are isolated due to the weather, availability of the cleaning items and Co-vid situation.
Happy New Year to all of our customers and clients. Hopefully this year holds happier and safer times than 2020. We are very appreciative of all the support our community showed us this past year during our 3 month closure and all the new policies we had to put into place. There will be one minor change this upcoming year, which I hope will not discourage you from continuing to support us, our prices on clothing will see a slight increase. Our last weekend of the month bag sale will be $2.00 per bag, rather than $1.00. Now don’t gasp – keep in mind that your purchase helps support our programs to our low income families and residents of Cass County. Without your support, we would not be able to fulfill our mission of helping those in need. Many blessings to all of you! ☺️
Published in LeaderPublications on Thursday, December 31, 2020
CASSOPOLIS — Amidst a year of financial and health hardships for Cass County residents, Helping Hands of Cass County was able to expand its food program and other services to area residents because of many donations from the community, officials said.
The food pantry remained open throughout the year serving a total of 4,161 clients with food and many more with utilities, clothing and other needs.
“It’s important to offer people more than canned and dried goods, so we really appreciated the donation of ground beef this year by Florea Farms,” said coordinator Mary Tompi.
The beef will be added to boxes given out by the food pantry.
As he dropped off the beef, Thomas Florea said, “I guess the reason I was put on this earth is to try to help others.”
During 2020, Helping Hands provided seven Feeding America trucks. More than 300 bags of food were handed out to Cassopolis children through the school backpack program. For the first time ever, the pantry reached out to the Cass County Jail to provide Christmas treats for inmates.
Helping Hands also expanded utility assistance in 2020, as well as supplying residents of senior apartments with cleaning products and transportation vouchers.
“The board was concerned when the store was shut down for two months limiting financial resources,” said board president Diane Seifert. “Instead, we received so many contributions this year, that we reached out to people who were struggling.”
Seifert listed the Ed Lowe Foundation, United Way, Berrien Community Foundation, AEP Foundation, Community Foundation, St. Ann’s Utility Assistance Gift, Florea Farms, Church World Service “CROP Walk,” Cassopolis Police Dept., Cass Road Commission, the American Legion, a private concert on Diamond Lake, and many individuals and churches as some of the donors
Published in LeaderPublications, Thursday, August 20, 2020
CASSOPOLIS — In July, many Cassopolis residents chose to round up their grocery bills to the nearest dollar. By doing so, one local food pantry can now feed dozens of families in need.
The Cassopolis Harding’s Markets recently donated $1,056 to Helping Hands of Cass County’s food pantry. The money was collected through the Harding’s “Round Up” program during the month of July. For the program, community members could round up their order totals to the nearest dollar, with the change going to support local food banks. Across all Harding’s locations, nearly $80,000 was raised to support local food banks.
“This all kind of started during the coin shortage, so we developed a program that allowed round up their totals,” said Matt Riggs, the store director of the Cassopolis Harding’s. “We held the change for the whole month and donated it to local food banks.”
Riggs said the donation was a community effort.
“It was a donation, but the community came together,” Riggs said. “It was more from them than us. We just organized it. I’ve always felt that Cassopolis was very active with helping each other out. Not every place is like that. I feel it’s wonderful to be a part of this community and work for an organization that is willing to give back.”
Mary Tompi, of Helping Hands of Cass County, said she was grateful for the donation, adding that it would help the pantry provide healthy food and meats to pantry clients.
“It’s very heartwarming, and it’s always wonderful when the community can come together like this,” she said. “We can’t thank the community enough for their generosity.”
Since March 31 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tompi said Helping Hands’ food pantry served 1,777 Cass County residents with food boxes that are delivered curbside. She said the donation from Harding’s and the community would allow the pantry to continue to provide to Cass County throughout the pandemic and beyond.
“In receiving this generous check, we will be able to continue providing quality food boxes to those facing food insecurities,” Tompi said.
Tompi said the donation from the “Round up” program was just another example of the kindness and giving she has seen from the Cassopolis community over the years.
“I think a lot of people help because, as the pandemic has made clear, a lot of people are one paycheck away from needing assistance, and you never know when your family might be the one that needs help,” she said. “We are so grateful to the community and hope to continue to bless people with our blessings.”
