Stockbridge Community Outreach Overview 2019

Karen Smith, executive director of Outreach

Cheryl Holloway inspects the food area at Outreach. Photo by Patrice Johnson

by Karen Smith

The difference between a boss and a leader: A boss says, ‘Go!’ A leader says, ‘Let’s go!’

              –E. M. Kelly

And so it was with a group of citizens and clergymen who responded to the growing needs of the community during the recession of the 1980s who gathered to form a community assistance organization called Stockbridge Community Outreach. The first food pantry was located in the basement of a church, later moving to a room in the middle school. At that time, Outreach was open once a week.

Donors raised funds to purchase a portable  building and placed it in the parking lot behind the old Middle School. Outreach did business from this location for decades.  In August 2018, Outreach moved to the Stockbridge Activity Center (former Stockbridge Middle School), where they now occupy four rooms (numbers 120, 121, 122, and 115).  

Although food and clothing has always been the mainstay of Outreach, various other services have changed to meet the needs of the community over the years.

The organization currently offers the following services:  

Food

Free donated clothing and small household goods

Utility assistance

Housing assistance

Transportation assistance in the form of gas vouchers and car repairs

Prescription assistance

School weekend backpack food program(tide Me Over) (Partially funded by a grant from 5 Healthy Towns Foundation,plus many donations from area groups & individuals).

Summer Tide Me Over food bags

Fresh Food Initiative (weekly summer distribution)

Government food distribution

Coupons forOpen Air Market, our local farmer’s market

Milk coupons

Holiday food and gift program (Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Referrals

Benefit specialist provided by Chelsea St. Joe’s which helps with applying for assistance

Office hours are Mondays and Fridays, 9:00 – 3:00, and Wednesdays 1:00 – 6:00.  

Contact information:  Phone:  (517) 851-7285     Email: outreach49285@gmail.com             

Mailing address:  Stockbridge Community Outreach, P.O. Box 682, Stockbridge, MI  49285