Kellogg Community CU Supports Homeless Community with Essential Goods Drive

Battle Creek, MI - September 8, 2021 - Kellogg Community Credit Union (KCCU) is confident the Essential Goods Drive they recently hosted will make a difference to members in our community who are experiencing homelessness. Due to the pandemic over the last 18 months, many shelters in West Michigan have seen an increase in families and individuals seeking assistance. KCCU asked their team, members and local community to step up and help by donating basic essential items, and the response was incredible!

KCCU collected a over 1700 items such as toiletries, personal hygiene items, nonperishable single serve snacks, new socks, towels, and other basic essential needs. The donations were then distributed to our shelter partners: Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, Battle Creek Homeless Shelter, Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids, and Three River’s Domestic and Sexual Assault Services, who in turn will make sure those in need receive them. In addition, KCCU pledged $500 to each of these organizations for a total of $2500, to purchase other items not collected to assist these individuals.

KCCU’s goal was to provide the shelters with basic need items so they can focus on the individual or the human aspect, working to support and guide these individuals, connecting them with the resources they need whether it is education, employment skills, mental health or recovery support so they can lead better lives.

“At KCCU, we believe that working together builds stronger communities,” stated KCCU’s CEO, Tracy Miller. “And when there is a need in the community, we strive to help in any way that we can.  We are overwhelmed by the amazing response to our Essential Goods Drive. We are grateful to our team and members for the compassion and generosity that they have shown. Once again we have demonstrated that together we can make a difference!”

"Our clients consist of women, men, and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds who are facing daunting life challenges that inevitably impact their safety, stability, health, and all-encompassing well-being,” stated Ellen Higgens, Victim Outreach Coordinator for Three River’s Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services. “KCCU’s support plays a key and distinct role in helping these determined individuals reclaim the necessary attributes which ultimately create a recipe for future successes. There is no way to fully articulate our gratitude for your loyalty. We at DASAS are continually inspired by the devotion of donors who continually answer the call to save lives in our community."

“We thank KCCU and their credit union members for their contributions and partnership,” says Olivia Harvey, Program Associate for the Battle Creek Community Foundation and Battle Creek Homeless Shelter. “We know that by working with the community, we can make this project and others like it a success to help those in need."

KCCU prides itself on giving back to their members and the community and is proud to support these local shelters and make a positive impact on those that might be experiencing homelessness.  

Kellogg Community Credit Union, headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan is a full-service financial institution serving people who live, work, worship, or attend school in West Michigan. With over $795 million in assets, KCCU proudly serves over 47,000 members in Battle Creek, Marshall, Kalamazoo, Portage, Grand Rapids, and Three Rivers. A community leader since 1941, KCCU consistently outperforms other financial institutions with outstanding service satisfaction ratings and a long history of growth. For more information, please visit www.kelloggccu.org. Connect with Kellogg Community Credit Union on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries Vision Statement, “We see a ministry where lives of the homeless and those in need are constantly being transformed by the truth of the Gospel with the collaboration of our community.” Visit www.kzoogospel.org for more information.

Battle Creek Homeless Shelter provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These services include overnight accommodations and meals and showers. Those in need will also be linked to other services providing such things as permanent housing, employment and mental health support. Visit www.bchomelessshelter.com for more information.

Mel Trotter Ministries Mission Statement, “Mel Trotter Ministries exists to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus Christ, through rescue and restoration for anyone experiencing hunger and homelessness.” Visit www.meltrotter.org.org for more information.

Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services is an organization that is dedicated to putting an end to domestic violence and sexual assault in Southwest Michigan and has been in existence for over twenty-five years serving victims and their families in Cass, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.

Visit www.dasasmi.org for more information.