Milestones
Winning $5,000
Through the "Pitch-er This" Competition Rachael Sierakowski (pictured right) and Olyvia Saxton (pictured left) received a $5,000 grant to order to build a new version of the Community Cabinet and Pocket Park. With this grant Olyvia and Rachael, along with the Katie Tobias State Farm team and many others, have been able to make a great impact within their community.
Plan into Action
The Community Cabinet was built and donated by Schaffer Construction. Without their help this cabinet would not have been possible. Along with the cabinet we were able to build a Pocket Park, which is a place in which people within the community can come to relax and enjoy. Greg Mapes was kind enough to help pay for the concrete that Becker and Central poured behind the cabinet. In addition, Misenhelder Welding donated the cost of their labor in order to provide us with picinic tables in our park area. Thank you to everyone who played a role in making our dream a reality!
Ribbon Cutting
The Community Cabinet was made possible by the tireless work and dedication of the Katie Tobias State Farm team, along with many other family members and friends that strive to help people within their community. Without all of these people the Community Cabinet would not be where it is today. The ribbon cutting for the cabinet took place shortly after the installation of the cabinet and tables. It was a rainy day, but the turnout was great! We are very thankful for the support of our community!
Monthly Partnerships
Over the course of the last year we have been very lucky to be able to partner with many different businesses! Our goal is to obtain at least one sponsor for each month of the year, this helps us to continue the sustainability of the cabinet and promote community connections! Our monthly sponsors chose to do many different things such as food drives, hygiene drives, monetary donations, and much more! If your interested in being a monthly sponsor contact us!
Gratiot Hunger Network Affiliation
The Gratiot Hunger Network consists of representatives of agencies and food pantries serving the needs of Gratiot County residents. We are lucky enough to now be a part of the Gratiot Hunger Network. As a part of the Gratiot Hunger Network, we are also participating in the Meijer Simply Give Program. This program runs through the Alma Meijer, at the store on designated campaign days customers can make a donation to local food banks! The money donated by customers is then split among the food banks within the Gratiot Hunger Network! Allowing them to purchase food from Meijer in order to stock their shelves.
Rock Garden
In June of 2023 we were finally able to get a sign to complete our Rock Garden! This garden allows people within out community to “Take one for inspiration; Share one for motivation; or leave one to help our garden grow!” Stop by the garden to see the beautiful and positive rocks!
Front Room Expansion
Throughout this year we were able to work on expanding our front room! This expansion allows us to have more space for food, hygiene, cleaning, and other supplies! We are very grateful to be able to have this new space in order to keep continuing to expand our cabinet!
Dalis to the Rescue
In the summer of 2024 we have been able to start a partnership with Dalis to the Rescue! When the rescue has an overflow of pet food and products they bring them to us so that we can package them and put them into the Cabinet! We are excited to continue this partnership for years to come!