Giving Thanks and Giving Back

Every Friday, Mike Morse Law Firm employees have the option to participate in “jean day.” They can wear jeans to work in exchange for a contribution to various local causes. This month’s collections are going to the Downriver Community Food Pantry.

Jars of peanut butter, boxes of pancake mix, and canned goods of all kinds are piling up at the Mike Morse Law Firm as a result of an employee-driven effort to collect food for our neighbors in need. Legal assistant Theresa Green and her daughter, Amanda Schiller, an employee in our Social Security department, are heading up the campaign to give back to our community via the Downriver Community Food Pantry. We encourage our employees to share causes they’re passionate about and work as a team to make a positive difference.

“I just think giving to [the food pantry] is an amazing way to help somebody who needs a lift. It just helps them get back on their feet,” says Theresa. “Every day, my co-workers have been bringing canned goods to the office and we’ve also been collecting cash. It’s just so wonderful to be able to give back and know that we can help make sure the pantry is re-stocked. Everybody is so gracious and helpful – it’s awesome.”

The Downriver Community Food Pantry is located in an old school building at 135 Superior in Wyandotte on the second floor of St. Patrick Catholic Church. Food is distributed every Wednesday from 10am to 1pm and Saturday 9am to noon. The pantry serves the downriver area including Ecorse, River Rouge, Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Southgate, Riverview and Wyandotte. It is open to anyone in need of assistance.

“We mostly serve the working poor,” explains Joyce Neilson with the Downriver Community Food Pantry. “They work and get food stamps but they still don’t make enough to get the food they need for their families. Many of our clients are families with children and seniors on fixed incomes. The need is great and it continues to increase.”

Neilson says the cash contributions from the Mike Morse Law Firm will be used to purchase perishable goods like eggs, cheese, bread, margarine and meats, items that are typically not donated. The pantry has been open for the last 16 years serving approximately 200 families per month.

Hunger in Michigan

According to the group Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, one in every six people in Michigan struggles with hunger and many of them are children. In southeast Michigan, more than 300,000 children receive free or reduced-price meals in school.

Here are some other 2016 statistics from Kids Count in Michigan:

• Nearly one in four Michigan children live in poverty, with household incomes under $24,000 for a family of four.
• More than 46% of school-aged children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches.
• 42% of those who receive food assistance live in Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Macomb or Monroe County.

For more information on the Downriver Community Food Bank, call: (734) 281-6733. For more ways to give back in Michigan, click HERE to find your local food bank.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!