Honoring Black History Series: This month as a part of our commitment to honor black history, Access team members will be sharing about businesses, books, literature, stories, podcasts, films, songs, or pieces of art created by black authors, leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists that have impacted us. By Lily Lemkuil, a senior Social Work student at […]
For the next five months we will be highlighting an affordable farm market that is a part of the HAELFS Collaborative. HAELFS stands for Health, Access, and Equity in our Local Food System. The Collaborative is in its third year and includes five pantry resource centers. Since the collaborative has begun, each partner site has […]
Mary Clark-Kaiser, a monthly supporter of Access, shares a reflection on her and her husband’s support of our work and mission below. Our work is possible because of our partnerships, and we are grateful for those who decide to partner with us through financial support. Over 10 years ago I was invited to serve on […]
We wanted to share a few resources our Good Food team have read, and are talking about in our community! The two books below are some of our Good Food System Initiatives go-to resources when talking about how we can move forward from a charity mindset, transforming how we think about food pantries in our […]
This month we’re recommending two books that get at root causes of our current housing crisis. Evicted by Matthew Desmond follows eight families as they work to keep housing. “Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of 21st century America’s mose devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope […]
Kim Starks joined Access’ team in August as our Poverty Education Director. She jumped right in and already has been a part of multiple workshops across Kent County and beyond! Kim is an upbeat, passionate team member who comes with a background in the financial service industry and experience as a ministry trainer. She loves […]
“We learned a lot from you and we are in the process of changing how we handle financial requests we receive. Thank you again.” –Lee Street Christian Reformed Church Deacons shared this with our our Congregation Connections Team this past year. Lee Street CRC is pictured above (photo credit to Troy Meekhof, @MidJulyMedia). No day […]
Every month our Congregation Connections program sends out a newsletter that includes a deep dive. The Deep Dive is an invitation to join us in learning more about compassion, justice, and equity. You can always let us know if you have a resource to share! You can read the whole August Newsletter here. Deep dives are not […]
“One time,” Brenda shares, “we had an elected official who went through the workshop and, a little while after attending, she called us to share that she had voted differently on a childcare bill. Attending the workshop changed how she saw things and that impacted the way she voted.” Brenda Nichols has served as the […]
Today marked the beginning of a new, formalized relationship between Access and the Micah Center! After many years of shared hopes and visions for a just future, we are now taking official steps towards a working partnership. This relationship was kicked off during today’s staff meeting as we gained an understanding of Broad-Based Community Organizing (BBCO) under the […]