Things are getting back to Normal!!

This past fall we began almost all of our programming back up for the first time since the pandemic hit. It was a breath of fresh air to have people back in the building every day. We now offer Coffee Spot five days a week but have stayed at our limited hours. This has been a good balance, as it has given the community a sense of stability and consistency, and also keeps the time together limited which helps keep everyone healthy. 

In October we had 2 different events that I wanted to highlight. The first one is our ‘How to Fight Bed Bugs’ Presentation.  Bed bugs are a huge problem in our area, and we know several families who struggle with them. Although we only had a few people attend the presentation, it was still really good to bring awareness to the issue and try and let people know it is okay to talk about it. Since then, we have had people reach out to us confidentially to ask questions and get advice on their situation.  The second event was our Fall Fest. We served dinner outside, and then offered ‘trunk or treat’ in the back parking lot. We were blessed with fantastic weather for the end of October and had a fantastic group of volunteers step up and help out, and we were overwhelmed with the turnout, families just kept coming! We estimated that over 400 people showed up, and it was such a great night of seeing our neighbors and connecting with the community!

As we move forward into our 3rd year I hope to focus on three new areas and continue the programming we are running now. The three new areas are; supporting our unhoused neighbors, empowering our single parent households, and connecting with businesses and agencies in Wyoming and the greater Grand Rapids area. Thank you for all the work you do behind the scenes to make the ministry possible.

With Gratitude,

                          Shanna Grigoletti