During its annual three-day distribution event last month, Charitable Union gave away more than 1,300 children’s coats to Battle Creek families in need of winter gear.
That’s a lot of warm kids. But not nearly enough.
Teresa Allen, Executive Director at Charitable Union, said they were forced to turn roughly 80 kids away from the event when coats and funds ran out. And that’s not counting the requests that will continue to come in from schools and other organizations as the temperature drops and the snow starts flying.
That’s where Pop-Up Giving funds will provide a boost.
Charitable Union, a nonprofit serving Battle Creek since 1887, was granted $1,500 in donations at United Way BCKR’s Basic Needs Pop-Up Giving event, held Oct. 26 at the WMU College of Aviation.
The organization was among three nominated by the community to present their programs or projects to the night’s attendees, who donated $20 each to attend and for the right to vote on how the money would be invested.
“It was a lot of fun to see the community come out and want to learn about our programs,” Allen said. “And I learned some things about my community partners – Woman’s Co-op and First Congregational Church.”
The funds from Pop-Up Giving will be used to continue to provide coats to children, particularly in urgent situations.
For example, Allen recounted a phone call the organization received last year from a local school, the day after a big snow.
“Last year the phone call came in, ‘We have eight students in need of winter coats. They need everything.’ One of them showed up in flip flops,” she said. “So we work with the teachers, the advocates, to take care of those kids right away. They are our future, and they are not focused on learning that day.”
Staff members plan to take advantage of upcoming Black Friday sales, stretching the dollars while keeping them local.
“We want to keep our dollars as local as possible,” Allen said. “The people that support us work in this community and they live in this community, and we want to reinvest in our community.”
Get Involved
- Donate items: Charitable Union, located at 85 Calhoun St. in Battle Creek, continues to accept donations of winter coats for kids, as well as all other types of clothing, bedding and other items for infants, children, men and women. The clothing is made available to qualifying clients at no cost.
- Volunteer: Charitable Union accepts volunteers continuously for a variety of tasks: cleaning and organizing the retail store, sewing, clerical, sorting and more. The organization currently seeks volunteers for a Nov. 13 event, where it will provide Harrington Elementary School kids as well as the greater Albion community with coats and more, thanks to an Albion Community Foundation grant. To volunteer in any capacity, call CU at (269) 964-7234 or email tammy@charitableunion.org.
- Support United Way BCKR’s Basic Needs strategy: United Way strategically invests funds and works in collaboration with partners like Charitable Union to ensure that all people in our region have access to a safety net for things like food, shelter and clothing in times of crisis. Join us, and help change the story.
Pop-Up Giving
Learn more about Pop-Up Giving and sign up for our next event HERE, and don’t forget to visit our Facebook page for photos, updates and more. Check out photos from the Oct. 26 event HERE.
[su_box title=”Charitable Union – Help that Brings Hope” box_color=”#110758″]Charitable Union • 85 Calhoun St. • Battle Creek, MI 49017 • (269) 964-7234 • Fax: (269) 966-2535 • E-mail: Info@CharitableUnion.org • www.charitableunion.org [/su_box]
Charitable Union Executive Director Teresa Allen gets a kiss of approval from Dexter after being awarded the Pop-Up Giving funds at United Way BCKR’s Basic Needs PUG event.