Program areas at United Church Outreach Ministry
Throughout 2022, ucoms pantry provided continuous service either through in-person shopping or curbside pickup to 4,350 unique individuals. Despite the residual challenges of covid, healthful nutritious groceries were provided to 24,168 individuals, including 698 new households that had never used ucom services. Many families shop more than one time a year with the average being 6 services per year. This represents enough groceries to make over 400,000 meals. Farm to pantry program with Michigan fitness foundation where a group of 30 families met weekly for 16 weeks to learn about nutrition, cooking, and preserving techniques. Participants receive a weekly portion of community supported agriculture (csa) produce that is harvested on a local farm.
Growing green neighbors - helping more than 100 households in our community to become more self-sustaining by growing their own gardens in raised garden boxes and community garden plots. Growing green neighbors gardening club was able to meet outdoors in marquette park for monthly meetings july - october. Due to covid, ucom was unable to have meals with members but they were able to have presentations with questions, response, and networking sessions.
The best foot forward program served 97 unique participants, delivering 505 service encounters. Services included identifying participants career goals, assistance with resume writing, gaining access to job training, leads for possible employment, problem-solving on the job, job laddering, and other help as needed.
In 2022 the financial fitness program at ucom held basic budgeting and credit management workshops attended by 103 individuals for 139 service encounters (some people attended multiple workshops)
Volunteer income tax assistance (vita) program - ucom is one of the site locations overseen by the kent county tax credit coalition that helps low-to-moderate income households prepare their tax returns for no cost. In 2022 305 returns were filed bringing $569,079 back to neighbors.