8.28.20

Business Member Spotlight: Senior Services of Southwest Michigan

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Group of four Senior Services employees holding flowers next to Senior Services yard sign
Consumers' core charities

Consumers joins forces with our members and employees to make our communities better through organizations like Senior Services.

See how else we're serving

One of our community’s most valuable assets for helping older adults remain independent and keeping their homes safe.

Senior Services of Southwest Michigan is near and dear to our hearts here at Consumers, and that’s not just because they’re one of our valued business members.

As one of Consumers’ core charities, we help raise awareness for Senior Services programs and lend a helping hand. In fact, every Tuesday—rain or shine, in the dog days of summer and during the arctic blasts of winter—Consumers employees help deliver meals for the Meals on Wheels program. These made-from-scratch meals provide vital nutrition and social connections to older folks who can’t get out. However, there’s more to Senior Services than well-balanced meals!

In-home care, home repair, medical alert systems, a telephone reassurance program and a pet food bank are just some of the additional 21 services they provide.

As a non-profit, Senior Services’ operating funds come from several sources, including donations, local millages and government grants. Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic this spring, the organization is unsure if funds secured through federal and state sources will still be available as promised.

The viral pandemic has also affected their volunteer force. Many are seniors themselves, therefore at higher risk, so they’ve suspended their volunteer work in order to protect their health.

Fortunately, the community stepped up to keep meals delivered and homes in good repair.

“We’ve seen the community rally behind us in our time of need,” said Susan Terranella, Senior Services marketing and communications manager. “People who are out of a job volunteered, and we’ve seen an uptick in younger folks like college students who are looking for things to do.”

How you can help
Donations of money, big or small, always help improve the lives of vulnerable adults in Allegan, Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties. New volunteers are always welcome, too! But, did you know there’s another way you can help?

You can support Senior Services by using their services for a fee. For example, you can get home repairs or ready-made meals delivered, and the fees go directly back into Senior Services programming.

“It’s a feel-good way to give back when you might not have the funds to donate outright,” Susan said.

For example, home repairs by volunteers called the Tuesday Toolmen could include repair of a wobbly deck rail, installation of a grab bar or the application of weather stripping. When you hire Generations Catering for a wedding or corporate event, you get excellent food and service while giving back to your community. It’s truly a win-win. You get the home repairs or meals you want and the fees you pay are used to cover home repairs and food for seniors who are in need.

We love supporting Senior Services of West Michigan. We invite you to support their work too by donating, volunteering or using one of their fees for service. And, if you’re a senior who could use help with meals, home repairs or other services, we encourage you to call Senior Services at 269-382-0515 or visit them online.

Consumers provides banking services for more than 100,000 members, including non-profit organizations. If you have banking questions, call us at 800-991-2221 or connect with us online. We make it easy to bank how you want, when you want.

Federally insured by NCUA

Consumers' core charities

Consumers joins forces with our members and employees to make our communities better through organizations like Senior Services.

See how else we're serving

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