Family Assistance news: winter is coming!

Winter preparation and orders

Each year when we flip the calendar over to October, we at Family Assistance prepare to get even more busy than usual. Every year on October 1 we are overwhelmed with orders, since that is when agencies are allowed to start requesting winter gear for their clients. Even though this year the weather was in the 80s, the caseworkers did not miss the opportunity to submit their orders right on time.

Since October 1 landed on a Wednesday (not a day we are open), out of curiosity I opened my email throughout the day, and I saw the number of new messages growing: 8 . . . 25 . . . 37 . . . 56. . . . By the time I got in on Thursday morning there were over 70 emails with orders waiting to be printed, and when I left at 2 o’clock that day I had printed 122 orders.

Knowing that these winter preparation months are our busiest, we made the decision to open the building this year for an additional day: Mondays. We are open in order to create extra time for volunteers to fill orders, and also to give caseworkers more opportunities to come in and pick up the orders.

It is only the beginning of the preparation, and the orders keep coming in. Halfway through October we have received about 275 orders. There are days that it seems impossible that we will ever get caught up, but we always do. One order at a time, and eventually everyone will be served.

In the Image           

Family Assistance has partnered with In the Image for quite some time. Every two weeks their truck arrives to pick up all the clothing that we are unable to use, which In the Image makes available at their free store.

This year the organization had a fundraising dinner held downtown at the Harrison Building, which was one of their original locations. The director of In the Image, Ashley, offered their friends at Family Assistance complimentary tickets to the event.

Joanne Rozema and I were able to attend. It was a fabulous night. It included a silent auction, inspiring speakers, a wonderful dinner, and a live auction. The lively audience seemed eager to support the organization.

We were seated at a table with the volunteer coordinator along with several veteran volunteers from In the Image. We enjoyed sharing stories about the surprising donations that get dropped off, comparing how we run our different ministries, and discussing the amount of organization that it takes to make each week run smoothly.

Joanne and I left feeling uplifted and grateful to be part of such a great community in Grand Rapids, which includes so many people willing to help support such a worthy cause.

Written by Kim Wierenga, current Family Assistance Coordinator