CARES in Farmington Hills | caresfh.org

November Special Announcement

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

CALL: 248-474-8231 for information.

It takes a community of CARESGIVERS... to build the kind of organization we have at CARES and to continue growing our Campus of Hope.

Our community is:

• Our150+ volunteers and our dedicated staff - Marcia, Sharon, Lonnell, Kitty, Paul and Don, who do whatever it takes to make sure guests and volunteers have what they need.

• It is faith leaders like Greg Geiger and the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints who recognized our need for a refrigerated truck. Now we can take advantage of better prices by buying larger amounts of food.

• It is business leaders in our community, like Leonard Kruszewski, Pres/CEO of RF Connect, who sponsored the Grateful Plate Full Dinner and all of you who donated to the campaign.

• It is Doug Busch of Busch's Markets, whose SOS and ABC campaigns, sponsorship of the Duck Race and Family Fun Day and continuous generous support helps to keep shelves stocked and provide gift cards throughout the year for hundreds of residents.

• It is Tim Wasmer of Wasmer Bros. Landscaping who has organized a team of business leaders for donations of materials and labor to build our Reflection Garden and upgrade playing fields.

• It is Ken Paulson and his crew from Paulson's Audio-Visual in Farmington Hills who saw the need to completely wire and equip the main building at CARES making it an up-to-date site for conferences, meetings and events for up to 100

• It is all the other businesses, community and faith-based organizations not yet named here, who offer ongoing support

• It is Rep. Mary Cavanaugh and the State of Michigan who helped secure a $500,000 sustainability grant to make sure the work continues.

• It is our Board of Directors who serve to keep CARES on target to meet goals and serve the community.

• It is YOU

-when you donated on Giving Tuesday or

-to the Grateful Plate Full Campaign

-when you paid for an extra gallon of milk or a bag of groceries at Busch's

-if you adopted a family for Christmas or

-sponsored an event during the year

-when you signed up at Kroger to donate from your purchases or

-when you clicked on that DONATE button or sent us a check AND

-when you gave your time to volunteer at CARES

Your support meant that we were able to provide approximately 34,000+ lbs. of food each month to help feed over 750 families! That is 410,285 lbs. of food for hungry families in 2023.

For all the ways you responded throughout the year YOU make CARES work and WE ARE GRATEFUL!

Todd Lipa and the CARES Team

Need a little extra help, or do you know someone who can use a hand up?

Scroll down to the green HELP section at the end of our newsletter. Watch for tips and resources in the HERE TO HELP section in every edition!

Well-deserved award goes to Lois Caito...

She speaks softly; patiently trains new volunteers; manages the registration and intake process for 70-100 guests each shopping day; organizes and submits the required reports for over 750 families a month.

Lois Caito, retired elementary teacher, and a dedicated CARES volunteer for the past five years, is also an active volunteer at First Presbyterian Church of Farmington.

Ask any volunteer and they will say Lois "is the glue that holds the Intake experience together for guests and volunteers alike."

"Lois is always willing to take the time to answer questions, help guests and shepherd new volunteers. She is patient, has a heart of gold and knows how to implement structure and processes so everything works," says Marcia Rodeheffer, Director of Business and Volunteer Development.

Kudos to Lois Caito Volunteer Extraordinaire!

Lois Caito, 2023 Winner of the David and Jeannette Sharpe Award given in recognition of a volunteer who keeps guests and volunteers informed and "Sharpe" is shown with her award.

They just wanted to help out a little...

It isn't everyday that someone walks into CARES and makes a donation that brings tears to the eyes of Executive Director, Todd Lipa.

But, that's exactly what happened three years ago when retired teachers, David and Jeannette Sharpe heard about CARES and came in to learn more.

Their CARES donation was not the only time they've chosen to help others. They've endowed scholarships at WSU and Henry Ford Community College; are actively involved in developing natural habitats throughout MI for the preservation of wildlife and climate protection. Their own yard has been designated a "natural habitat" Both are also active volunteers elsewhere. "There are so many places where help is needed," says David Sharpe. "We just want to be of help."

Spend a little time with the Sharpe's and it's clear how their deep love for each other and their shared commitment to making a difference in the world keeps this couple perennially young. Their example motivated CARES to award the first David and Jeannette Sharpe Award in 2023, to another retired educator, CARES volunteer, Lois Caito.

David and Jeannette Sharpe , Photo above, December, 2023

It's Human Trafficking Awareness/Prevention Month

Join us at CARES, January 31st - 7-9 PM

CARES and Board Member Elaine Grohman are hosting the award winning film: Break the Chain about Human Trafficking with special guest Laura Swanson, Producer/Director.

Please arrive by 6:45 so we can start promptly at 7 pm.

(CARES is located at 27835 Shiawassee, Farmington Hills)

Attendance is FREE - Suggested donation: Bring a non-perishable food item for the Pantry.

See information below:

Who: Hosted by CARES and Board Member Elaine Grohman

What: the award winning film "Break the Chain" about the growing problem of human trafficking. View official film trailer: https://youtu.be/zkOddwa4lxk.

Q & A will follow the documentary.

When?: January 31st 7-9 PM at CARES



Why?: Human Trafficking is the 2nd fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world and it is hidden in plain sight...even in our community!

Where? At CARES with a panel of experts who can answer your questions. Learn how to identify Human Trafficking and what to do about it from experts

Laura Swanson - Producer/Director of "Break the Chain."

Edee Franklin - Founder of Sanctum House - a 2 year residential program for women who have been victims of Human Trafficking.

Jem Muldoon -internationally known expert in Trauma

Farmington Hills Police Department representatives will also be on hand.

Please RSVP to Elaine M. Grohman at:

elaine@elainegrohman.com

HERE TO HELP...NEW FOR YOU!

Introducing an all new HERE TO HELP section that will appear right here in every CARES Newsletter.

Watch for helpful information on programs to benefit our CARES guests and anyone who needs it.



Please share on social media and with anyone who may need help.

Are You on Medicare and Medicaid?

Have you lost your Medicaid Benefits or told you are a Spend Down?

We can help evaluate your situation and take steps to protect your benefits.

We can assist you in applying for Medicare Extra Help and the Michigan Medical Savings Program.

We will also determine if your current health coverage has changed, will expire, or has been cancelled.

And finally, we can find the plan that best meets your needs.



I am at Cares weekly and can be contacted via phone at 734-368-0613

Owen Ballow

Are you getting the help you need? You may qualify for one of these programs:

Many families in need don't take advantage of aid that is available to them.

-Only 25% of families who are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - TANF - apply for it.

-Less than half of elderly Americans who qualify for food stamps sign up for them.

-1 in 5 parents eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Program - CHIP- do not enroll.

-1 in 5 workers who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit - EITC - do not claim it.

Approximately 7 million people who could receive the EITC credit don't claim it.

$142 billion in unused aid could be helping Americans in need.

Data from multiple gov't sources and studies cited in Poverty by America, copyright 2023, Matthew Desmond.

Watch for information in each newsletter about agencies where you can find help.

By 2030 1 in 5 Americans will be over 60! - That's 6 years!

Over half of elderly Americans who qualify for food stamps do not apply for them. If you know of someone who could use a little help refer them to:

www.mibridges.michigan.gov/access/ to apply for State Emergency Relief (SER), Bridge Card, TANF, Expanded Medicaid.

To find a list of services available to elderly residents of Oakland County go to:

Older Adults | Oakland County, MI (oakgov.com) There are a variety of health, education and recreation services available, including free cell phones for emergency use.

To find a list of services available to elderly residents of Wayne County go to:

https://thesenioralliance.org/programs/ Again, there are many programs available to assist elderly residents.

Tax assistance for older persons:

A variety of free and low cost tax assistance for senior citizens is available at the following sites:

Costick Center in Farmington Hills: Call 248-473-1851. Must be resident of Farmington or Farmington Hills

Livonia Senior Center: Hours Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-9:00 PM; Sat 9:00 AM-4:00 PM

Phone: 734-421-6050

Southfield Senior Center will begin taking appointments on January 16. Call 248-796-4650 for details.

Redford Senior Center: Call 313-387-2784 Mon-Fri 8:30AM-4:30 PM

Find free or reduced-cost resources like food, housing, financial assistance, health care, and more.

Help starts here: findhelp.org



If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, chat with them online via their website, or text HOME to 741741 (multiple languages available). If this is an emergency, call 911.

New Year - New Name???

We've just been calling this the "CARES Newsletter."We think you can help us come up with a better name that reflects our mission to make food accessible for those who need help and to make our community an even kinder place to be.



Please enter our "NAME THE NEWSLETTER CONTEST" by sending your suggestions to: info@caresfh.org by Feb 15 OR dropping your suggestion into the box at the CARES Market or Pantry when you stop and shop!

The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from Busch's.

Click on the button below:

How are we doing?

Are you a CARES supporter? A regular reader of the CARES Newsletter? Tell us how we can improve. What do you want to know?

Respond at: 

CARES...IT'S WHAT WE DO!

CARES in Farmington Hills | WWW.caresfh.org

Newsletter Volunteer Staff:

Cheryl Willette