Cuts and delays in November to federal food assistance have left some people struggling to put dinner on the table.
But community members across Mid-Michigan are working together to help neighbors in need.
Fowlerville resident Jenn Wakeman is one of them.
On Saturday evening, Wakeman made a Facebook post published in the Webberville, Fowlerville and Howell community pages. She linked two forms—one to ask for help and the other to sign up for donations.
“The whole premise for it came when I started thinking about when the SNAP benefits were going to be turned off,” Wakeman said. “People were talking about losing all that money and all those resources and everything. For so long now, I've just been feeling really stuck. I want to try and help in some way, some way that is tangible and meaningful.”
In her post, Wakeman said even helping one family would be worth it.
The turnout: nearly 50 families are being matched with volunteers.
“I felt almost scared. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is so much more than I thought it was going to be,” Wakeman said. “But I’m also ready. This is what I wanted. I kept saying that to my husband. I know it's a lot, but this is what I wanted. We wanted to help people.”
Wakeman pairs families that filled out the family support form with volunteers. Each family makes a list of needs, and the volunteers buy those items. Wakeman then picks up the donations and delivers them to families.
There is no direct communication between donors and recipients unless both parties agree.
For the most part, Wakeman filters families by how urgently they need help, then pairs them with the next available volunteer on the list.
But sometimes, she said, there’s exceptions.
One woman who asked for help is nonverbal, has ALS and requires a feeding tube. She can only eat organic food and has other stipulations, Wakeman said.
She remembered speaking to a volunteer a few days prior, who shared that her children have disabilities. She can only buy organic food, too.
"I thought I should tap on her shoulder again, and even though she's already given once, she was very willing,” Wakeman said. “She's like, let me know if you need anything else.”
Wakeman reached back out to the volunteer and explained the woman’s situation.
The volunteer was excited to help.
“She's texting me all this stuff, like, ‘I'm going get this and this and this,’ and I'm relaying that information to the family. She's just beyond grateful. So, there's those elements that I'm learning as I go,” Wakeman said.
For now, sign-ups to receive donations are paused to make sure families that have already signed up are getting help.
Wakeman is still looking for volunteers. Donors can sign up here.
“I am going to try to extend this any longer, I'm going to have to have some more resources,” she said.
One idea Wakeman is working on is partnering with the Family Impact Center in Fowlerville, possibly to use as a central drop off and pick up location.
Wakeman said the experience has been very humbling but also gives her hope.
“The reason I say hopeful is because they've reached out to me, and I know I've got a little bit of a lifeline for these volunteers to help provide,” Wakeman said. “It's also really troubling and sad. I just can't imagine what it's like to not know where your next meal is coming from.”
She said she’s grateful that she’s in a position to give her “time and brain.”
“I'm driving around and keeping track of a spreadsheet. Yes, it's time-consuming, but it's just time,” Wakeman said. “The real helpers, the real ones are the volunteers that are doing this.”
