Community Events / Lake Trust Employees / Giving Back / Moved By Good

Food For Thought: Day of Caring

Words by Abbie Dyer on Aug 16, 2017 2:28:30 PM

With over 1 million people in Michigan struggling to put food on their tables¹, was there really a way we could make a difference?

Too often when we hear grim statistics, we see despair instead of looking for an opportunity to provide hope. So with full hearts and optimistic spirits, thirteen members of Team Lake Trust gathered at Rangers 4H Garden in Fenton, Michigan to prove that a few hours of work could make a big impact.

Getting Our Hands Dirty

This is the second year in a row that we've participated in the Livingston County United Way Day of Caring², the largest one-day service event in the area. As part of our Core Value of Making a Difference, we're all about lending our time and putting in a little extra work for the communities we care about and love.

To kick off our morning, we got down on our hands and knees scouring the garden for fresh fruits and vegetables to share with those who needed it most. Our harvest for the day would be donated to Meals on Wheels and the Livingston County Senior Nutrition Program. From there, the food would be distributed and delivered to elderly folks in the community who otherwise may not have had access to or been able to leave the house to buy fresh food.

All Smiles. Thirteen members of Team Lake Trust donated their morning to giving back.
Lots of Veggies. In total, we collected 106 pounds of vegetables that will be donated.
Working Together. Giving back is an important part of our culture.

Making an Impact

We work hard each day to help our members find financial success, yet we understand that people need help in other ways.

"As a credit union, we live by the philosophy of 'people helping people'. We believe the best way to benefit our community is by focusing on the individuals within them and their basic needs," says Mikayla, Foundation and Community Engagement Manager at Lake Trust. "We realize the severity of hunger that many of our neighbors in Michigan face daily; nobody should have to worry about where their next meal will come from."

Recognizing the extent of the problem of food scarcity, we've formed valuable partnerships with several food banks across Michigan. In the past, we've hosted the Lake to Lake Food Drive and in June we held an internal cereal drive. Team Lake Trust collected 21,492 servings of cereal in just four days.

This donation was matched by the Lake Trust Foundation, meaning we provided nearly 500 children with meals for the entire summer.

Change Happens Together

It's the culmination of small actions that leads to the resolution of larger social issues. During our time in the community garden, we collected 106 pounds of food or 88 meals for those in need. This means more meals will be available to elderly residents in the community.

We may not be able to solve the hunger crisis in one day, but we can make a difference in the number of people who will go without a meal tonight.

SEE ALSO: Hope for a Home: A Day with Humble Design | Spreading the Love on Giving Tuesday

¹(2017). Map the Meal Gap. Feeding America. Retrieved from http://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2015/overall/michigan

²Third party website. Lake Trust Credit Union is not responsible for the content, availability, security or compliance of any linked third party websites. In addition, the site's privacy policies may differ from those of Lake Trust.