Making a Difference

Hope for Neighbors is a grassroots initiative supporting immigrant detainees at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan. The group was organized by Dale Dalman, retired pastor of Esperanza Covenant Church. Volunteers are welcome to participate in a variety of ways, including visitation, writing letters, offering financial support, and more.

Coordination and communication for volunteer opportunities take place through a private Hope for Neighbors WhatsApp group, which serves as the primary hub for updates and involvement. To request access to the WhatsApp group, please complete this Google Form with your contact information. You may access WhatsApp via the mobile app or web browser.

Any person or group who wants to provide a meal to those staying at the Family Promise shelter can choose whatever date works best and sign up to provide the food. Anytime you want to use the Thornapple kitchen to do prep you are welcome to do that. Just clear it with Holly in the church office ahead of time (616.957.0580 or hsmith@thornapple.org).  
Learn more and sign up to provide a meal HERE.

Partnership with Thornapple Covenant Church and Cascade Fellowship
Working with our neighbor church, Cascade Fellowship, we are hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive every other month. Go HERE to make an appointment (search by zip code and select desired date at Thornapple or Cascade Fellowship – there are multiple slots for each time so spouses can sign up together, you just need two accounts).
Volunteers will be needed to help with the drive: loading/unloading supplies; greeting and screening donors; serving post-donations snacks.
Contact Beth Van Over with questions.

2026 Blood Drive Dates, 11am-5pm each day: 

• Monday, March 23 @ Thornapple
  - Sign up HERE to help
  - Sign up HERE to donate
• Tuesday, May 26 @ Cascade Fellowship
• Tuesday, July 21 @ Thornapple 
• Monday, September 21 @ Cascade Fellowship
• Tuesday, November 24 @ Thornapple

Saturday Dinners | We serve dinners at Degage one Saturday a month from 4:30-7:15pm. The food is provided by Degage and supervisors give direction. You don’t have to serve every month. If you would like to be added to the list of volunteers, contact Patty Dekker.

The Love Mercy Do Justice team is encouraging individuals and groups who like to work with their hands to volunteer at ICCF, Habitat for Humanity and Family Promise. These three organizations have opportunities for men and women to work on new houses as well as renovating old houses and manufactured homes. The jobs require varying levels of skill. Some jobs involve demolition, painting, carpentry, landscaping, general clean up, etc. The work is often simple, requiring no previous skills. Other projects require some skill, but supervisors teach whatever is needed to accomplish the tasks.
 
For Individuals: You do not have to wait for a group opportunity to volunteer. Individuals can help at any time. Simply contact the organization you want to volunteer with to learn more:

• ICCF renovates homes for low incomes families. To help, email Thornapple member and ICCF's Volunteer Coordinator, Sheryl Baas (or call 616.336.9333 x616)
• Family Promise renovates manufactured homes for low-income families. To help, contact Victoria Hart, Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager (616.202.1544 or volunteer@familypromisewm.org)
• Habitat builds new homes for low-income families. To volunteer at Habitat, sign up HERE.

Meets Tuesdays, Noon-3pm usually twice a month at Thornapple. Contact Diane Kunkler for dates/details. The group is working on dresses, shorts and hygiene kits. Hygiene kits are currently going to high school and nursing students in DR Congo and Uganda. Dresses and shorts have been sent worldwide, most recently through Operation Christmas Child. All help welcome, you do not need to have a sewing machine.
Donates of 45" wide 100% cotton flannel for sanitary kits and fabric suitable dresses and shorts are needed and can be brought to the church office.