During the holiday season, Northwest Michigan Community Action (NMCAA) empowers families to work on solving problems. Big ones, like finances. And small ones, too. Each year, along with monthly meetings focused on reducing poverty, they offer a make-and-take gathering for Michigan residents. Normally, it's around Thanksgiving, and participants sit at craft tables and discuss credit and debt and jobs as they put together bird feeders or make bath salts. This year, the organization will hold the make-and-take event in December, and as with everything else in 2020, it looks a little different.
"This year, we'll be doing it as a drive-through," says Karen Emerson, financial management services manager for NMCAA. Emerson says they usually have an adult audience at the regular monthly meetings, aimed at helping with financial capability and brainstorming ideas to change lives. But for the make-and-take event, children often join to paint rocks or make play dough and just have fun."Many of the people who join are homeless or low-income, so we like to make something inexpensive enough that they can replicate it and do it on their own," Emerson says. For this year's drive-through event, they'll maintain social distancing protocols for Northern Michigan, where COVID019 cases continue to rise. Emerson says they'll be equipping participants with kits to build gingerbread houses, along with gift cards for gas.
They hope to resume their monthly meetings via Zoom in 2021. Emerson says the meetings, which she started 12 years ago, are important, because it's a chance for people to tell the community action team what's really going on in their lives. "They can sit and problem-solve," she says. "They can talk about money and finances."
Emerson says making gifts – and giving them – is always popular, whether it's a painted rock or a photo they can share. She'd reserved the large conference room as always this year, hoping they'd be able to meet in person, hoping things would change. "And then we heard it got worse," she says of COVID-19.
Staff gets ready for clients to come join the make-and-take event. Photo 2019.
Doug Leary is a volunteer who coordinates the meetings. "People need to not only help each other but learn about resources in the local area," he says. While NMCAA provides meals at the meetings and offers resources, they welcome other agencies to discuss solutions to poverty and a path forward. Leary says the make-and-take programs, which are also held during the summer months, always get the most attendance.
"It's a big hit," says Leary, who has been reaching out to past participants to let them know about the December event and to remind them "that we still care about them. We're still concerned."
Emerson says the goal of the program is to empower people experiencing poverty to seek mentors and network. As someone who works to build connections, she has advice on a few activities to keep people connected during the holidays when they may be apart.
- Zoom is a great way to stay connected, and often, available to families of all different economic brackets. Emerson suggests using zoom for family chats, a theme night or a game night. If it times out after 40 minutes, she says, just have a different family member start a meeting.
- Share a recipe. For the holidays this year, Emerson plans on sharing a recipe with relatives and
having them each make the same thing, at a distance. - There can never be enough communication, Emerson says. Phone calls, cards, short notes can all help check on others and brighten someone's day.
- Plan a contest. NMCAA held holiday door-decorating contests in previous years, and that's something individuals and families could mimic, sharing their results online. NeighborWorks' southern region had a similar contest last year!
- Make a gift. The gift ideas that NMCAA has used for their make-and-take meetings can work for families as well. Past ideas have included: pinecone crafts, painting rocks, making playdough, make bath salts and soaps, taking and sharing photos, and this year's gingerbread houses. The ideas are inexpensive, Emerson says, and offer families activities they can do together.
People are set up to be in community with one another, says Romi Hall, director of healthy homes and communities for NeighborWorks America. "It's the importance of not being alone or isolated. And at the holidays, this can sometimes be a lonely time for many. It is commendable what Northwest Michigan Community Action is doing to keep their community together through this difficult time. Finding the different ways to connect is a bit of trial and error, but keeping at it is what can help keep all of us together during a sometimes already hard season."
Resources that address the intersection of health and housing may be found on our website along with a toolkit for supporting isolated seniors.
