Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/nonprofits-social-services/page/2/)
DIAPERS: Michigan’s 13 nonprofit diaper banks are trying to fill the need of low-income families but say they need more resources. We talk to the Capital Area Diaper Bank and Metropolitan Detroit Diaper Bank. By Elijah Taub. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
DENTAL: For the 2024-25 school year, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to expand statewide a pilot program that gives free dental examinations to children entering kindergarten. The Whitmer administration proposes to spend $4 million next year, but advocates say that’s not enough. The Michigan Oral Health Coalition, Michigan Association for Local Public Health and Michigan Dental Association explain. Includes references to Petoskey, Detroit and Grand Traverse, Chippewa, Oakland, Ottawa, Marquette, Leelanau, Mason, Emmet and Cheboygan counties. By Theo Scheer. FOR PETOSKEY, DETROIT, LEELANAU, TRAVERSE CITY, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, LUDINGTON, HARBOR SPRINGS AND ALL POINTS.
SCHOOL MEALS: School districts are adapting to the mandate to offer free breakfasts and lunches to all students, regardless of income. The state is paying for the initiative. They say hungry students don’t learn well, and that students who can’t afford to pay for meals feel stigmatized. We talk to school lunch experts in Marquette, Oakland County and Traverse City. By Alex Walters. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
A lawmaker from Erie wants to allow baby drop boxes at fire stations to speed the process of adoption of unwanted newborns who are left there anonymously. Neighboring Ohio and Indiana already have baby drop box laws. Cosponsors include lawmakers from Osseo, Milford, Lake Odessa, Clare and Shelby Township. The Michigan Health and Hospital Association opposes the bill. By Sophia Ceru. FOR MONROE, ADRIAN, BLISSFIELD, HILLSDALE, DETROIT, CLARE COUNTY, IONIA, GREENVILLE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, LUDINGTON, LAKE COUNTY, COLDWATER AND ALL POINTS.
SNAP DELAYS: USDA has criticized Michigan for delays and errors in handling applications for SNAP food benefits for low-income residents. One result is increased demand on already-stressed food banks. Whitmer and the governors of neighboring Ohio and Indiana have received warning letters from Washington. We talk to the Food Bank Council of Michigan and the National Center for Budget and Policy. By Alex Walters. FOR DETROIT, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, HILLSDALE, COLDWATER, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MONROE, BLISSFIELD, ADRIAN, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
The Michigan Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies (MASC/MAHS) is a leadership organization throughout the state of Michigan that creates a community where college and high school students can come together and support one another.
LANSING, Mich.—There are at least 515 unhoused people in Lansing on any given night, according to a report from The National Allegiance To End Homelessness. Organizations like City Rescue Mission of Lansing and The Congregation of Every1 (COE) show that it takes a lot of people to help a lot of people.
“Last year, we provided 365 meals every day. So that’s a little over 133,000 meals last year,” said Laura Grimwood, senior director of community engagement at The City Rescue Mission. For 113 years, The City Rescue Mission of Lansing has prided itself on providing “food, shelter, and hope” to those who need it most. They have a number of locations that offer a variety of services, such as a dining room on Michigan Avenue that offers food to anyone who may need it, a men’s shelter, a women’s shelter and The Outreach, which is designed to help individuals who may struggle in a typical shelter environment.
Injured fawns in Ingham County will soon have a new place to recover.
Cheryl Connell-Marsh, owner and founder of the non-profit animal rehabilitation center Nottingham Nature Nook, said she wanted to renovate the front of her barn to accommodate older and injured fawns.
LGBTQ+ SENIORS: Two new Metro Detroit senior centers are focused on older LGBTQ+ residents, filling what advocates say is a need for services they may otherwise not get. We hear from a Ferndale-based nonprofit and the UP Area Agency on Aging. By Alex Walters. FOR DETROIT, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, IRON MOUNTAIN, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
CLEAN SLATE: Michigan’s Clean Slate initiative has automatically set aside 1,394,000 convictions for around 907,000 ex-offenders, State Police figures show. An upcoming expungement fair is scheduled for Detroit. We talk to the co-founder, from Monroe County, of a nonprofit group, the executive director of Safe & Just Michigan and a criminal justice professor at Northern Michigan University. Includes reference to U-M. By Anish Topiwala. FOR MONROE, DETROIT, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, IRON MOUNTAIN AND ALL POINTS.