UMCOR International Disaster Relief and Hope Clinic, Food Gatherers, & Peace Neighborhood

Our December and Christmas offerings this year will be divided equally between UMCOR International Disaster Relief (50%) and local nonprofit groups (50%) working to support hunger in Washtenaw County: Hope Clinic, Food Gatherers and Peace Neighborhood.

UMCOR International Disaster Relief

The mission of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is to respond quickly to meet emergency needs around the world.

When a natural or human-caused disaster strikes outside of the United States, the United Methodist Committee of Relief International Disaster Response program (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance. Response includes support for displaced people as well as refugees fleeing disasters in the form of food, water, hygiene and other essential nonfood supplies and temporary shelter. Long-term, UMCOR cooperates with church leaders and local organizations to develop response mechanisms and to support local relief and recovery efforts. UMCOR focuses on disasters that overwhelm a local community’s ability to respond, such as storms and flooding, fires, volcanoes, war and civil unrest.

Website: ​https://umcmission.org/international-disaster-response/ ​

Local Non-Profit Groups:

Hope Clinic

Hope Clinic partners with the people in the community to make lives better, caring for the whole person with integrated and free medical, dental, food and behavioral health care, all in Jesus’ name. Hope Clinic is one of the few places that provide baby formula for young mothers. Hope Clinic runs on partnership: partnership between their four pillars of service to provide a cohesive, whole person health care experience and partnership with the community for the resources to make it happen. For over 40 years, Hope Clinic has been a place where everyday people come together to serve. Together, they can do what no one could do alone: provide whole person care - physical, mental and spiritual - under a single umbrella. Powered by over 1,800 volunteers, last year, Hope Clinic answered over 117,000 requests for help. Hope’s focus on integrated care helps ensure that each request for help is more than just a band aid. With your support, Hope Clinic can offer their patients opportunities to make sustainable changes for the better.

For more information, check out their website: ​https://thehopeclinic.org/.​

Peace Neighborhood Center

For over 50 years, Peace Neighborhood Center has piloted and maintained programs for children, families and individuals to promote self-sufficiency and positive community involvement. They are proud to report that since 1971, they have provided critical services and opportunities to more than 18,000 people in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. Through a wide range of comprehensive programs, Peace helps people discover options, enhance skills and make choices that promote education, health, well-being and fiscal independence. Their services include: advocacy, emergency assistance, after-school programs, summer day camps, college and career preparation, individual and family counseling and family enrichment.

Peace Neighborhood Center’s mission is to provide programs for children, families and individuals who are affected by social and economic problems. Peace helps people discover options, enhance skills and make choices that lead to self-sufficiency and positive community involvement.

Peace Neighborhood Center is a community where personal growth, opportunity and diversity are constant - the cycle of poverty and social and economic inequality has been broken.

To find out more about Peace Neighborhood, visit their website: ​https:// peaceneighborhoodcenter.org/​.

Food Gatherers

Food Gatherers is the food bank and food rescue program serving Washtenaw County. The lead agency for hunger relief in the County, Food Gatherers supports a network of 170 community partners with free and low-cost food, deliveries and trainings. They operate several large direct service programs - the Food Gatherers Community Kitchen, the Summer Food Service Program and the Healthy School Pantry Program - and work closely with community schools, universities and healthcare providers to address gaps in services. Food Gatherers focuses on health - 60% of food distributed is protein and fresh produce. Because hunger will not be solved with food alone, Food Gatherers advocates for policies and system changes to create an equitable food system. In their last fiscal year, Food Gatherers distributed 7.3 million pounds of food - the equivalent of 6 million meals - through their network of partner programs.

Check out the Food Gatherers website: ​https://www.foodgatherers.org/​ for more information about this wonderful community resource, to donate or to find volunteer opportunities.