Yesterday I had the opportunity to volunteer at two organizations who help meet the needs of seniors. In the morning I helped assemble 300 baskets for Ingham County TRIAD’s ‘No senior without Christmas’. Ingham County TRIAD is a partnership among law enforcement agencies, fire personnel, senior citizens, and community members which promotes elder quality of life through advocacy assistance, education and training.

No Senior without Christmas provides a christmas basket to homebound seniors living in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties. Each box includes donated necessities and small gifts and are delivered directly to seniors by police officers. Over 40 other volunteers assisted with packing boxes at the fire station.  For more information about Ingham County TRIAD and their other services visit their website: www.inghamcountytriad.org

After my morning assembling baskets with TRIAD I headed over to Capital Area Community Services Inc. (CACS) where I built nearly 200 boxes in their warehouse where the food packages for the supplemental food program are assembled. CACS has been working to eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty in Ingham, Clinton, Eaton, and Shiawassee counties.  CACS’s mission and services work to eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty in Ingham, Clinton, Eaton, and Shiawassee counties.

CACS’s supplemental food program delivers 2000 packages monthly and an additional 6000 boxes each quarter.  Nearly 94% of the food packages distributed go to low income seniors and are distributed directly, dropped off at senior centers, or available to be picked up at warehouse to supplement the nutritional needs of eligible clients. For more information about CACS and its other services visit their website:  www.cacs-inc.org

– Alexis Ringman, Project Administrator