FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — When you walk inside CARES of Farmington Hills you can quickly see that the name of this organization suits every person involved.
“You get very emotional. Every day we see a miracle that happens, every one of us will say 'my gosh, we just wished for that and there it came'. It's just been a blessing, it's been beautiful to be a part of it,” said CARES volunteer Kitty Ostach.
Each bag is stuffed with love and all the nutrition a family need.
“It's almost always a little bit different. We need protein, pasta. Every family will get one of these bags, depending on how many people are in the family,” said Ostach.
On distribution day, it is evident just how many families are now in need of a healthy meal.
“We distribute on the first and second Tuesday and Wednesday of the month and we can service anywhere between 100-150 families per day and our numbers continue to go up due to the pandemic,” said CARES Business and Volunteer Development Director Marcia Rodeheffer.
CARES sits inside what was once St. Alexander's Church in Farmington Hills and now it connects nine communities with what families need to survive.
"Pre-pandemic we served a hot lunch to between 40 and 60 people every day. That was an absolutely fabulous experience to have people from the community coming here and breaking bread together," says Tim Cobb, the Pantry Director who found a way to keep that special feeling going for families during the pandemic.
“It’s a very heartwarming experience. We are just truly grateful for all the opportunities come our way to be able to help like we do,” said CARES Pantry Director Tim Cobb.
When anyone needs groceries, CARES has a new full-service market set up by Busch’s, open five days a week and whatever you buy, every dollar goes right back into helping them feed families.
“We run off of volunteers and all the proceeds in the store go back into CARES, so really to be self-sufficient,” said CARES Market Director Sharon Brandel.
“That’s an easy thing to do and that's what we’ve got to get back in this country to care about each other and have a little bit more kindness and compassion and care about each other, that's how the world will change,” said CARES Executive Director Todd Lipa.
If you would like to donate or volunteer to CARES of Farmington Hills, CLICK HERE: https://caresfh.org/
