A Community Bright and Cheerful

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Alecia posing in front of bookshelves in the Thrift Store.Alecia’s earliest memories of FROM were from long ago, visiting Treasures Thrift Store in its earliest days to find needs and wants.

In 2012, Alecia was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Boulding all that comes with a life altering diagnosis, Alecia found herself in need of some help.

She still isn’t sure who requested help for her through the Repair & Restore (formerly Neighbor to Neighbor), a FROM program that provides weatherization and small home repairs, but help was there.

“The next thing I knew I had a whole group of people at my home, putting new floors and repairing a few doors,” Alecia shared. This left Alecia feeling seen and taken care of, expanding her expectations of what FROM could do in a time of much needed support.

Along with Repair & Restore, and Treasures Thrift Store, Alecia has also taken part in the FROM Christmas Food Basket & Toy Store. She loved that she was able to pick out special gifts for her children.

A sense of community blossomed for Alecia. Over the years, she has continued to frequent Treasures Thrift Store. So much so; she finally became a volunteer, serving as a cashier, and in the book department.

Today Alecia’s life is full and busy. With her cancer in remission, she fills her time with family, volunteering, and her favorite pastime, reading! She has seven bookshelves of books!

“I’m lucky compared to so many other people out there, I have fantastic kids and a wonderful husband,” she said. “There will always be something on the horizon that would be nice to have but what I have now is quite lovely.

Alecia complimented the people who make FROM, FROM, saying they are, “bright and cheerful.” We think she’s one of them.

A Safe and Affordable Home to Call Her Own

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Faced with an unsafe living situation and the threat of rising rent, Mary knew she had to do something.

“I was like ‘I’ve got to do something,’” she said. “I’m not getting [anywhere]. I’m not paying any bills. I’m not helping my credit. I’m just losing money and making myself depressed.”

She was paying $700 a month to rent a small room where she couldn’t open the windows or leave the room without fear of a dog attacking her or her cat.

Mary had applied to live at FROM’s Main Street Housing in the past, but the available unit wasn’t a good fit for her. She decided to apply again, and this time, she was able to move in.

The year she’s been in her new home wasn’t easy. Shortly after moving in, with limited work hours significantly impacting her income, Mary made the decision to transition jobs. She was encouraged to change jobs by her supportive friends, and a few FROM staff members. While it was a positive change for her, the delay in paycheck meant she needed an extension to pay her rent for the next month.

Wendie, FROM Executive Director, agreed to work with her, and Mary was thankful, saying it’s not a chance you really get anywhere else.

“I just wanted to cry when I wanted to ask [Wendie] about it…” Mary said. “I don’t like asking like that.”

She’s now settled into her new job, where she enjoys running a Hi-Lo, something she’s done for more than a decade.

Moving to Main Street Housing has had a positive impact on her financially, as well as helping improve her mental health, and stay more positive.

“I’m actually watching my credit go up, I’m getting everything paid off, I’m able to help my dad,” Mary said. “If I was still in that spot, I would not be able to help my dad…I wouldn’t be able to do everything an adult should be able to help their parents’ do.”

She’s thankful for the positive impact that stable and affordable housing has had on her life, and the foundation she is building, living in the community where she has support.

“I’m doing it on my own. I’m here in Lowell, that’s all I wanted,” she said.

When asked about why affordable housing is so important to the Greater Lowell community, Mary was quick to share.

“People deserve [affordable housing]. They deserve the opportunity, that’s what they deserve.”

A Place to Thrive

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(Rex pictured here with one of the raised garden beds he tends to at Main Street Housing over the summer)

After living south of Lowell for almost five years, Rex needed to find a place to live. He had 30 days to find a new place, and his options were limited.

“I couldn’t afford, what, over $1,000 in rent,” he said about the available houses and apartments in Lowell.

The avid science fiction reader and gardener saw that FROM’s Main Street Housing had a unit for rent and quickly applied.

“I applied and within 2 weeks I’d been ok’d,” he said. “…It’s fitting my needs for right now.”

Previously, he rented a room in a house and shared the rest of the house and kitchen. He appreciates that he now has a place to truly call his own. Plus his shorter commute to and from his job at Meijer saves him gas money

In the summer you’ll find him working in the raised garden beds outside of the house or reading about gardening in one of the more than 1,000 books he owns.

“It’s a nice environment, the rent is reasonable, it’s fair,” Rex said about living at Main Street Housing.

Though the house historically had a negative reputation in the community prior to FROM taking ownership, Rex said that the reputation has changed for the better.

“I’ve had a couple people ask me when I moved in if it was like it was before,” he said. The folks living there are more friendly and take ownership of where they live. FROM has brought structure and safety through policies and security cameras.

“It’s equal housing, anybody can come here and apply,” he said about why he appreciates where he lives. “…the community does need it.”

Volunteer or Staff, Still Giving Back

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When former FROM staff members Dawn, Diane B., Diane K. and Kathy transitioned out of their positions, they knew they wanted to stay involved.

“I love everything about FROM,” Dawn, former FROM Executive Director, said. “When I left as a staff member, I never thought that would mean I left as a volunteer.”

Diane, former Volunteer Coordinator, agreed saying when she retired, she assumed she would continue by volunteering.

Each of them has found a way to stay involved and continue serving the community. You will find them stocking the Farm Market, working in Treasures Thrift Store, sitting on our board, or filling in whereever they’re needed.

“I didn’t know how much need there was in the community when I started,” Diane Barnes, former Administrative Assistant, said. “It’s nice to see we can help a lot of people.”

They each shared it doesn’t matter where you get involved at FROM, it all makes a difference.

“No matter where you volunteer, it’s good.” Kathy, former Thrift Store Coordinator, said. “In your community is even better.”

Hear more of their individual stories, as well as current volunteer opportunities by visiting our website at: www.fromlowell.org.

The People Helped Us Too

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I first came to FROM in the early 2010’s as a struggling divorced mom of two. I was working a part-time job that wasn’t meeting my financial needs, and my girls and I shopped in the Thrift Store for clothes.

In 2015, my husband Scott and I married, after meeting through our kids, and had to provide for our five kids.

FROM helped fill the gaps. Mobile Food Pantry and other food programs helped provide food. The Backpack Distribution and Christmas Toy Store and Food Basket helped fill other gaps.

We were sad that we couldn’t buy enough food and get new clothes for the kids. FROM helped us, and not just the tangible items like food and school supplies.

The people helped us too. We felt kindness here, not pity. We were not seen as broken people, hopeless or useless. We found friends and neighbors who were volunteers and program participants just like us. We received a warm greeting with smiling faces. There was hope that life would get better. It meant a lot to not feel alone or defeated for a while. We kept working and learning and, eventually, life did get better.

Even when we had nothing, we volunteered and donated what we could. Today, we continue to volunteer, as do our kids, and I joined FROM staff in 2021. Giving to others has always been a big part of who we are, as individuals and as a family. We do it to be kind, and to share a mission of hope.

A giving spirit stokes the fire of hope in others. We wish to inspire people to keep trying and moving forward. Because there is always hope for you too.

Today, I’m glad to work at FROM because I can relate to families facing struggles. I understand that sometimes it’s still not enough even when you’re doing the best you can. While FROM can’t fix everything, we can help with basic needs, fill a gap or make someone’s day a little brighter simply by listening.

Spring Clean Up with Repair & Restore

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Last weekend FROM held their second annual Repair & Restore Spring Clean up Event. About a dozen volunteers helped out on outdoor projects throughout the greater Lowell community.

Volunteers worked on 6 projects throughout the day that included cleaning gutters and picking up yards to prepare for summer. The biggest project of the day involved moving a large wooden shed 50 feet up a hill in preparation for a future ramp installation project.

“It was great weather and everyone showed up fully prepared to get dirty and serve our community,” Bob Rogers, the volunteer who leads the FROM Repair & Restore project, said.

The Repair & Restore program provides small home repairs throughout the year, with the Spring-Clean up event being a service area wide outdoor project that happens one Saturday a year in the spring.

If you are a homeowner in the Lowell Area School District and are in need of some small home repairs, please reach out to our Connections Office (616-897-8260 ext 125) to talk to Monica about options available to you. If you love working outdoors and are looking for ways to give back to the community, be sure to sign up to volunteer for the next Repair & Restore event by visiting our website (fromlowell.org/volunteer/).

A big thank you to every volunteer who came out to serve your community on May 20! We are so thankful for your heart to serve your neighbors in need.

2022 Food Fight Impact

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Throughout the month of May 2022 we held our annual friendly but fierce competition – that’s right – our annual Food Fight!

This once-a-year fundraising campaign splits the Lowell Area School District by M/21 / Fulton Street into the North Team and South Team. The campaign helps stock the food pantry, and raises funds to support all of the programs at FROM (we have more than a dozen!). Teams collect 1 point for each dollar or food item donated to FROM.

The team with the most points at the end is crowned the winner.

Together the teams raised more than 154,205 points this year – the most ever!

Generous matching sponsors helped provide a $37,250 match base that matched every financial gift until the match was completed.

We were blown away by the kindness of our community; the match was fulfilled before we were halfway through the fundraiser!

We celebrate the South Team for winning the 2022 Food Fight, winning 7 of the last 13 Food Fight Campaigns (North Team has won 6).

We are so thankful for each and every one of you who participated in Food Fight 2022. Because of you, we were able to touch the lives of families right here in our community. We are thankful for everyone who made a financial donation, collected or dropped off food, and for sharing this opportunity with the community.

Thank you to all our donors, including our Matching Sponsors (listed below) and Head Coach business sponsors: Chimera Design, Lowell United Methodist Church, Metric
Manufacturing, Poultry Management Systems, Inc., Brian and Cheryl Doyle, Karen Corbett, Timpson Transport Inc, First Congregational Church of Lowell, Richard and Margaret DeVoest, Alec and Karen McPherson, Canfield Plumbing and Heating, McDonalds, Patrick and Kati Doyle, Ada Bible Church, Lowell Area Schools

Starting off right – backpack distribution 2022

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340 students walked into their first day of classes in August with the confidence that they had a backpack and school supplies to take the school year head-on.

Kids were able to pick out their backpack and collect school supplies specific for their school, grade and classroom.

A big thanks to all of the volunteers who helped out – including a group from Lowell Family Dentistry – as well as support from our community through school supply and financial donations. 

Preparation for the August distribution started in April when the team sat and made the game plan. This included coming up with ideas on how to improve from the previous years. 

“We were essentially coming out of a COVID-19 restriction time,” said Monica. “We always ask the question ‘how could we make sure we help everyone involved in the best way?’ Then June-July came and registration began. Registration is important because it helps FROM know how many supplies to purchase, especially ones that are specific to one grade or classroom. 

Alongside the Backpack Distribution, the Alto Lions Club offered free vision screenings. This was another effort from the FROM team to make the Backpack Distribution program experience as pleasant as possible. “We are always looking to make the experience as enjoyable for kids as the parents,” Monica said.

“I’ve always been treated with kindness and respect and it is appreciated immensely,” a program participant shared. “It’s hard to admit you’re struggling, but FROM never makes you feel ashamed of asking for help.”

Backpack Distribution happens the second week of August each year and is available to families who live in the Lowell Area School District and make 300% of the Federal Poverty Level or less or have an expressed need. You don’t have to attend the Lowell Area Schools, you just have to live in the district and have a child attending school The Backpack Distribution is one of more than a dozen programs FROM offers throughout the year. The next program requiring registration is our Christmas Toy Store and Food Basket. Registration starts November 1st, 2022 and the program will be held the second week of December. Click here to learn more about the Christmas Toy Store and Food Basket and all other FROM programs. 

Lasting Legacy & Affordable Housing

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The “fun” uncle. Great conversationalist. Frugal. Friend of FROM (Flat River Outreach Ministries). These all describe Phil Rice, who passed away at the end of 2020.

Through Phil, FROM was blessed to receive a generous estate gift that will be used to help families in need in our community access safe and affordable housing.

“The generous gift of Phil Rice will help Flat River Outreach Ministries continue pursuing affordable housing solutions right here in our community,” Wendie Preiss Executive Director shared.

Kathy Brady, Phil’s niece, said he was drawn to FROM because of the way FROM serves families and individuals in need. He worried about people who were in need and didn’t know where to go. He wanted to ensure they were taken care of.

Phil and his wife of sixty-four years, Donna Mae, were generous to many organizations over the years. FROM and the Humane Society were among the organizations that worked to address causes that were near and dear to them

We are so thankful for the generosity from Phil and Donna Mae and for their lasting impact on our community.

One Dozen Eggs at a Time

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Amy Herbruck has passed by the FROM headquarters countless times. Last spring, she decided to reach out to FROM and learn more about what we do.

Amy, the Marketing and Community Outreach Manager at Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, connected with Kelly Glas, our Healthy Foods Program Coordinator.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, the largest egg producer in Michigan, has been partnering with FROM ever since.

“It just felt right,” Amy said about the partnership with FROM. “(FROM is) helping people and making them feel good while you’re helping them.”

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch provides enough eggs each month to ensure each household that comes to our Food Pantry can have a dozen eggs.

“To have our shelves continually stocked with fresh, good quality eggs is a goal that we have been trying to achieve for many years,” Kelly said. “Thanks to the partnership with Herbruck’s we can now provide this source of protein to many community members in need. This partnership also allows us to direct our money elsewhere in the pantry.”

Amy agreed saying that eggs are one of the cheapest and cleanest proteins that families can use to cook with.

“We’re really proud of the work (FROM is) doing,” Amy said. To date, Herbruck’s has provided more than 20,000 individual eggs (more than 1,800 dozen eggs).

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

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