What’s New

Thursday, May 16th is opening day for the Manchester Farmers Market.  And once again, the Community Resource Center will be offering our Wooden Nickels Program.  Current clients of CRC are eligible to receive up to $40 per month to spend at the Farmers Market.  The Nickels may be used to purchase produce, herbs, eggs, honey and produce producing plants.  Wooden Nickels may be picked up by current clients at CRC’s table at the Manchester Farmers Market, from 3-6pm.  Not a current client?  You will need to complete a CRC application and provide proof of residency in our service area, as well as proof of income prior to receiving Wooden Nickels.  Just give us a call and we will be happy to walk you through the process.   This program is made possible by a generous grant from Chelsea Hospital. Thank you!!

To better serve the working families in our community, the Manchester Community Resource Center will be open on Tuesdays 12pm – 7pm, beginning Tuesday April 16.  All regular CRC services, including the food pantry, will be available.  Our hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays will remain the same:  9am – 4pm.  We are closed on Fridays.

CRC is a community based human service agency serving the City of Manchester and the 4 surrounding townships of Bridgewater, Freedom, Manchester, and Sharon. We offer an array of services including a food pantry (curb-side pickup or in-person shopping by appointment), grocery delivery to individuals with mobility or transportation issues, weekend meal kits to students in MCS who face food insecurity when not in school, emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction or utility shut off, access to free tax preparation and information and referrals to a variety of Washtenaw County services (such as, physical and mental health, senior citizen and veterans, transportation, health insurance navigation, financial counseling…).  Income eligibility requirements apply to some programs. Call us at 734-428-7722 for more information and to schedule an appointment.

Once again, CRC is partnering with United Way to bring the VITA Scan and Go free tax preparation service to Manchester.  VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.  CRC Volunteers have received IRS training as VITA intake workers.  In general, people who earn less than $64,000 per year can qualify for this service.  Appointments are available through March 21, 2024.  When you schedule an appointment, you will receive a checklist of documents to bring to the appointment, as well as the intake paperwork to be completed prior to the appointment.  Please call 734-428-7722 with questions and to schedule.

“Food prices are crazy. I don’t know how I would have made it without CRC”.

This was a recent comment to me by a CRC client, who began shopping in the CRC food pantry in April. She went on to say “the relief of shopping at CRC to supplement my food budget has been extremely beneficial to me. We don’t have money for extras, but at least we have enough food”.

The summer of 2023 was difficult for many of our neighbors in the Manchester Community.  CRC saw a dramatic increase in food pantry visits and in requests for emergency funding for basic needs.

To highlight:

• Overall food pantry visits were up, a 58% increase over the same period in 2022.
• Food pantry visits by township residents were up 70%.
• More direct financial assistance was provided in the summer of 2023 than in all of 2022 ($2181 in May– Aug. 2023; $1525 in 2022)

And thanks to the generosity of the Manchester Community, CRC has been able to meet all these needs.

Needs like:

The Manchester family with an unexpected car repair bill. Their choice was to fix the car
used for work or to pay the rent. CRC was able to provide emergency funding for the rent
and the family was able to fix their car. “This really helped us during a difficult situation. It
is very good to know that we have the CRC, if the need arises”.

And:

The large Manchester Village family who had been relying on free food from the State
during the pandemic. When this ended, they struggled to buy food. They learned about
CRC from a school social worker, and began receiving Weekend Kids Meals and shopping
in the food pantry. The client said that receiving these services “gave us the ability to not
go further into debt”. She also noted, “the staff and volunteers at CRC are so welcoming. I
don’t feel judged. They have big hearts and are willing to listen”.

CRC is the safety net for many families in the Manchester Community.

Would you be willing to make a special year-end contribution to maintain this safety net?

To donate, just click the “DONATE” button on the home page.

Checks can be made payable to “Manchester Community Resource Center” and can be mailed to:

Community Resource Center
710 E Main St
P.O. Box 433
Manchester, MI 48158

With your support, we can continue to impact our community in a lasting way.

Sincerely,

Carol

Executive Director