By Megan Kelley
Review Writer
ORION TWP. — Since its opening in January, the Meijer Grocery in Orion Township has been working to give back to the community in a number of ways.
Most recently, Meijer employees awarded the Lake Orion Community Schools special education program with $5,000 and helped clean up some of the grounds at Webber Elementary and Oakview Middle School.
Each year, Meijer stores select local organizations to donate money to as part of the Meijer Team Gives back program. Along with a cash donation, Meijer team members also like to donate their time to help on site at these organizations. With June being their volunteer month and with an ongoing budding partnership between the Orion Township Meijer and the LOCS special education program, the store selected the program to receive their donation.
“Each store that Meijer has picks their own organization in their area that they give $5,000 to every year. We like to give back more and volunteer and help out with whatever the organization needs,” said Anthony Sitto, the human resources representative for the Orion Township Meijer branch.
The Lake Orion special education program has received $10,000 in donations thus far from the Orion Township Meijer team which, says Julie Gutman, the recently retired director of special education for LOCS, means the program can provide more experiences for students.
“We have a lot of new staff and I think what some of it will go to is training new staff, making sure that everybody knows how to meet all kid’s needs. Also, some of it will go toward our summer camp this summer, just providing experiences for the students,” Gutman said. “It allows us to do extra things for students and for staff. The first $5,000 was spent primarily on staff – helping them do special projects, do special things with students, field trips, staff recognition, just all those little extras you would love to do to show appreciation but we don’t necessarily have the funds to do that.”
According to Sitto, the Meijer team feels strongly about supporting schools and, more specifically, special education.
“We just thought in the community there’s a need to help schools and there’s an extra need to help the special education program and Meijer likes to partner with the schools. We have actually partnered with the Lake Orion special education program; we’re going to have the older students come in and do a work placement where they can build skills to be able to get jobs after they finish the special education program,” Sitto said.
Gutman has been working to provide job site opportunities for her 18-26-year-old students for some time now, and with the help of the community has managed to double the programs participating job sites this year, but is always looking for more.
Despite the store only opening in January, the partnership that has been created between the store and LOCS is one that has a strong foothold, she said.