Christmas Magic for Children

For hundreds of families in Newaygo County, the holiday season can bring added stress as rising costs make already-tight household budgets even harder to stretch.

TrueNorth’s Children’s Christmas Programs help ensure local children can experience the joy and excitement of Christmas by providing gifts and essential items to families who need a little extra support.

Community generosity makes it possible. New, unwrapped toys and gifts can be donated at collection boxes, beginning November 2nd, throughout Newaygo County or dropped off at the TrueNorth Service Center in Fremont. Financial donations also allow TrueNorth to purchase items based on the specific needs of participating children.

Every gift, no matter the size, helps create Christmas magic while reminding local families they are supported by a community that cares.

Together, we can make the season brighter for children throughout Newaygo County.

Help make Christmas magic possible, give today.

Visit HERE to learn more.

Visit HERE to donate to our Children’s Christmas Programs.

Fresh New Flavors

Dining All Together is partnering with second-year culinary students from Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency’s Career-Tech Center to bring fresh energy and new flavors to the program.

A select group of local students are earning school credit by working alongside TrueNorth’s Community Connections team. Throughout the program, students take the lead on every step of the process, planning menus, ordering ingredients, preparing dishes and serving a meal of their own creation.

Students prepare and share their creations at the TrueNorth Service Center every second Thursday of the month at Dining All Together, turning each gathering into a hands-on learning experience.

Beyond the meal itself, Dining All Together is creating something special: a space where youth and older adults can share a meal and build connections across generations.

It’s a simple idea with a powerful impact, bringing people together over good food and meaningful conversation.

Learn more about Community Connections HERE.

Wetland Trail Grand Opening

TrueNorth’s Camp Newaygo will celebrate a major milestone on Thursday, October 22, with the reopening of its Wetland Trail and the official launch of the new Hidden Lake Environmental Center.

This event marks the culmination of two years of restoration after the 2024 brush fire that forced the trail to close. The day will feature environmental education, professional development, guest speakers, networking and lunch. 

Speakers include building expert Will Keller, ecologists from Michigan Technological University and Grand Valley State University, Great Lakes researcher Dr. John Hartig and acclaimed author and illustrator David Allen Sibley.

At 4:00 pm, the public is invited to a free grand opening celebration!

For decades, the Wetland Trail has provided campers, students, families, birders and researchers an up-close look at a sphagnum bog.

Come celebrate its return with us!

Register HERE!

Learn more about the trail by visiting our BLOG.

Newaygo Elementary Joins Project FOCUS

Project FOCUS is expanding! TrueNorth has partnered with Newaygo Elementary to bring engaging activities and exciting outings to a new group of students.

This Out-of-School Time program will be offered Monday through Thursday, directly after school until 5:30 pm, and began programming on September 8th.

Transportation and snacks are provided. And the best part, Project FOCUS is completely free!

Project FOCUS provides Kindergarten through fourth graders with new experiences and endless opportunities to grow. It is a safe, positive place that allows students to build their self-esteem while participating in activities centered around having fun and disguised learning.  

Programming activities include academic enrichment, STEAM programming, art and technology exploration, exciting field trips, cool visits from fun vendors, play time and so much more!

Project FOCUS is more than a child care facility! We are funded by both state and local grants and licensed by the State of Michigan, which allows us to go above and beyond.

Are you ready to sign up? Reach out to Youth Opportunities Coordinator, Michelle Beyer, at (231) 924-0641, ext. 106 or mbeyer@truenorthservices.org, for more information.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Behind the Bowls

TrueNorth’s Empty Bowls events are among the organization’s largest events of the year. Last year, 298 attendees showed up to support our Hunger Prevention programs. 

This year, TrueNorth aimed for 350 bowls to be hand-painted and hand-glazed to be given away at the upcoming events.

Volunteers were the driving force behind this enormous task.

Students, older adults from the Community Connections program and other volunteers spent hours painting meticulous details and ensuring every bowl was brushed with the colorful glaze.

Madison Butler, volunteer coordinator at TrueNorth, said contributing to the production of the bowls is a relaxing and physically accommodating form of volunteerism, allowing anyone to take part.

“These are efforts that people are putting in behind the scenes, maybe even months in advance,” Butler said. “Ultimately, it’s something that can go entirely unseen by the volunteers themselves, but something that’s really appreciated by the public.”

Along with those preparing the bowls, Butler said donors and day-of volunteers play a large role in putting on the events. The soup served to each attendee by local police departments is donated by local restaurants and caterers.

If you’re interested in seeing the hard work of our community come together, there’s still time to register for Empty Bowls! Register Here!

A Journey Together: 2025 Impact

TrueNorth’s 2025 Annual Report tells a clear story: when neighbors face hardship, community support changes everything. The report, titled A Journey Together, follows real families who found stability through drive and dedication, alongside TrueNorth programs.

Carl and his wife worked hard but still faced eviction and months of homelessness before TrueNorth’s Housing Resource Center helped them secure a new home. Amanda, a mother of four in White Cloud, found not just food assistance, but a way to grow her own garden and pay it forward to other families in need. Jon, recovering from a serious medical crisis, credits TrueNorth’s Summer Blast program with keeping his kids engaged and connected during a hard year.

As President and CEO Bev Cassidy writes, every success story represents something bigger than a single program. It represents a community choosing to care for one another.

Click here to read our report.

Fill a Bowl, Fight Hunger

Every October, hundreds of neighbors gather around a simple meal with a shared purpose: making sure no one in Newaygo County has to face hunger alone.

Guests enjoy soup, bread, crackers and a cookie, all donated by local restaurants and caterers, then choose a handcrafted bowl to take home a reminder that for many neighbors, nutritious food is a daily challenge. In Newaygo County, 45.3% of households struggle to afford basic needs like food.

Empty Bowls has become one of TrueNorth’s signature fundraisers because it reflects the power of community. Restaurants donate soup, artists craft bowls and volunteers, students and sponsors give their time and talents, all to help neighbors access nutritious food year-round.

Last year, TrueNorth’s Hunger Prevention programs provided 932,000 meals, distributed over 1.1 million pounds of food and supplied 11,876 Weekend PowerPacks to local kids.

Join us:

• Thursday, Oct. 8 — TrueNorth Service Center, Fremont
• Friday, Oct. 9 — VFW Post 4249, Newaygo

Soup served 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. both days. Visit www.truenorthservices.org/event/emptybowls to register and join us.

How Collaboration Restored Arthur’s Running Water

Imagine navigating the freezing winter months without a single drop of running water. Now imagine doing so while living alone, without a vehicle or the ability to read or write. For our neighbor Arthur*, this was his reality since early last fall.

While Art’s sister serves as his legal guardian, she lives too far away to provide day-to-day support. Facing the daunting task of navigating complex assistance programs while entirely isolated, Art could have easily fallen through the cracks. Yet, despite these overwhelming challenges, Art’s resilience never wavered. Throughout the months without water, he maintained an exceptionally clean, organized and proud home.

He just needed a team in his corner to help bridge the gap. That is where Megan, a TrueNorth emPower Self-Sufficiency Advisor, stepped in.

Restoring water to Art’s home was no small feat. It required navigating a lengthy USDA application process and securing more than $14,000 for a new well.

Megan jumped into action, helping Art coordinate a powerful web of support:
–TrueNorth & Home Team Housing: Partnered together to secure funding that covered 75% of the total project cost.
–USDA: Awarded Art a critical grant.
–Arthur’s Investment: Art obtained a loan for the remaining balance and proudly contributed more than $1,000 of his own savings he built while working with Megan on his budget toward his future.

We are thrilled to share the project is officially complete, and Art’s running water has been fully restored! What started as an insurmountable obstacle became a beautiful story of collaboration, perseverance and hope. Art’s journey is a powerful reminder that barriers like transportation, literacy and isolation do not define a person’s future. With the right resources and a dedicated support system, life-changing outcomes are possible.

Our Self-Sufficiency Advisors work one-on-one with individuals to break down barriers, navigate complex systems and walk alongside them to build paths toward independence.

Click here to learn more about TrueNorth’s Self-Sufficiency Programs

*The participant’s name has been changed for privacy.

A Blast Filled Summer!

Across all of our Summer Blast locations, we saw significant growth from last year’s launch.
Every site increased participation, allowing us to reach more students and families and provide
more kids with a safe, welcoming place to spend their summer. More than numbers, that growth
represents more kids engaged, more families supported and more opportunities to learn, explore,
connect and have fun.

Students experienced an incredible variety of activities this summer—from STEM challenges,
outdoor adventures, and field trips to community service, creative projects and visits from
amazing community partners. Along the way, they made friendships, discovered new
interests, challenged their minds and stepped outside their comfort zones. We are grateful to the
many community partners who helped bring these experiences to life.

One of the most exciting additions this summer was the expansion of Summer Blast to Mason
County Eastern (MCE) Elementary and Middle School. Bringing the program to MCE allowed us
to reach more rural students and families and provide access to opportunities that may
not always be available in smaller communities.

The MCE location opened the door for students to experience the same type of engaging
programming offered across our other Summer Blast sites as well as building community
connections, and hands-on challenges. Most importantly, it gave more children a safe, fun place
to go where they could spend time with friends, meet new people, try new things and stay
engaged throughout the summer.

Expanding into new communities is an important part of our vision for Summer Blast. We want
to continue finding ways to remove barriers and bring meaningful experiences directly to the
students and families who need them.

Summer Blast has grown tremendously, and we are excited to build on that Momentum
to reach more students while expanding opportunities and creating a summer
experience where every young person can connect, discover, grow and have a BLAST!
Learn more about Summer Blast by clicking here.

Free Resource for the Community

Did you know TrueNorth has a Medical Loan Closet? A Medical Loan Closet is a community resource that allows individuals to borrow durable medical equipment (DME) and ours is completely free for anyone in the community to use.

Based on donation availability, we have a wide variety of equipment available, including wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, bedside commodes, shower chairs, mobility scooters, grabbers for hard-to-reach items, adult incontinence supplies and much more. Whether you’re recovering from surgery, healing from an injury or caring for a loved one, we’re here to help you access the equipment you need without the added financial burden.

Our Medical Loan Closet is made possible through the generosity of community members. If you have medical equipment that is no longer needed, please consider donating it to help others. We gladly accept clean items that are in good working order so they can continue serving neighbors in need.

If you have questions about borrowing or donating equipment, contact TrueNorth Community Services. Together, we can make sure these valuable resources remain available for everyone who needs them.