A column by Jim Newell
Review Editor

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” – author unknown

I’ve always appreciated that quote and the wonderful Amber Kish who tied it to a small, but heartfelt gift to thank me and the other members of the Orion Area Youth Assistance Board of Directors for our service. I still have the piece of paper it was printed on taped to my refrigerator door – so I see it multiple times every day.

In the Feb. 22 issue of The Lake Orion Review, we printed an article entitled, “‘No one is turned away’: Free Meals program seeks additional funding to continue serving north Oakland communities.”

Well, the magnificent people of the Orion and Oxford communities responded to the article – in a most heartfelt manner.

Since that article was published, the Free Meals program has received nearly $6,000 in donations. Others have stopped by Immanuel Congregational Church of Christ in Oxford – the program’s base of operations – to drop off canned and boxed goods and other items. And several residents have volunteered to work Wednesday afternoons boxing up hot meals, packing groceries and loading the bags into the guests’ vehicles.

The article described how the Free Meals program was in dire need of additional support to keep operating in its current format. The Four County Community Foundation provided an $18,000 grant in 2022 and an $18,250 grant for 2023, but with inflation – and the increased need in the community – it wasn’t going to last.

In 2022, the Free Meals program ran out of funding in October; this year program leaders were projecting they might only have enough funds to make it through July. The program generally serves 90-120 people each week who are facing hard times by providing a prepared meal in a to-go box and a bag or two of groceries to help stock pantries and assist with meals for the week. There are no residency requirements – and Free Meals doesn’t check IDs – but many who go to the program for assistance are from the Oxford-Orion area and surrounding communities.

“I wish to thank the Oxford Leader and the Lake Orion Review for the wonderful Feb. 22 article regarding the Free Meals program at Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ,” Free Meals team leader Connie Miller wrote in a letter to us. “Mr. Newell’s insightful and heartfelt article highlighted the incredible community support that enables us to continue feeding people of all ages. Community support is critical to our program. We rely on it for donations of money and food. We rely on it for volunteers. Mr. Newell’s story generated renewed interest in our work, which resulted in an increase in donations and volunteers.”

One woman told Miller that they could not donate financially but she wanted to help. She is now a regular volunteer at the program.

So, would I attribute this outpouring of support to the power of the press? I suppose if we didn’t share the story many of the people who contributed would not know about the Free Meals program.

But no matter what poignant prose we commit to paper, no matter how worthy the cause, it is the people who read the article and said to themselves “This is my community, this is important to me” and stepped up to help out in any way they could – and the dedicated volunteers who show up each week – who are the real inspirations here.

Their actions are what makes what we do so much more special.

These are, after all, our communities too. I live in Lake Orion. So does our advertising director. Six other employees of the north Oakland View Newspaper Group live in Oxford. These are our communities and we’re privileged to be a part of them and share the stories that need to be shared.

Knowing that those stories have helped others – well, it’s not what we ask for when we tell a story but it is an inspiration to us as well. Although, after seeing how the Orion and Oxford communities come together in times of need, I’m not really surprised.

And besides, I’ve been to more than enough government meetings. It was well past time for some good news.

If anyone would like to donate to the Free Meals program, contact Connie Miller at 248-933-4579 or Immanuel Congregational Church at 248-628-1610. Mail donations to Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, 1 Hovey St., Oxford, MI 48371 with Free Meals in the memo line of checks.