North Kent Community Services is collecting items to make 500 Easter Baskets for children in northern Kent County. We would appreciate donations of the following new items by March 22:

• Candy or Fruit Snacks

• Easter Baskets and Grass

• Small Stuffed Animals ~ Beanie Baby size

• Bubbles and Sidewalk Chalk

• Jump Ropes and Balls

• Crayons, Colored Pencils, Markers & Coloring Books

• Books, Stickers, Erasers

• Small Cars & Trucks ~ Small Dolls

• Any other suitable items for children ages 1 – 10

Please contact Sandy Waite, Executive Director, at 616.866.3478 ext. 100 or sandy.waite@nkcsc.com with any questions.

City residents may get a knock on the their door Sunday morning, September 25. The Springs Free Methodist Church will be coming around door to door from 10 a.m. to noon to collect donations of food for North Kent Community Services.
Residents are asked to donate canned goods and dry boxed items such as cereal, noodles, brownies, cakes, hamburger or tuna helpers, etc.
They will try to collect from as many homes as possible, but they run out of time and are not able to collect your donation, please feel free to bring to the church, at the corner of Oak and Grant, when you can.

Do you like to help people in need? Or maybe just help things grow? North Kent Community Services needs your manpower in their Community Garden! Last year the agency received over 3,570 pounds of fresh vegetables to distribute to families in need. That huge amount of food was planted and harvested by a handful of volunteers, who worked an acre of land to create a Community Garden. The NKCS is the largest food pantry in Kent County and services over 12,000 families. The fresh vegetables were a welcome sight for families who normally received canned or frozen when they pick up groceries.
Merrill Post, of Post Berry Farms, donates the land, on Myers Lake Avenue and 12 Mile Road, where the volunteers plant and harvest. For the third year in a row, Mr. Post has set aside an acre of land that he tills, fertilizes, and waters to make sure that the plants will grow. He even allows the group a space in his own private garden, where a high fence keeps the deer away from the tender bean plants. Post also donates to the NKCS corn, pumpkins, berries and other food that the volunteers do not grow in the Community Garden.
All of the seeds needed for planting are donated by The Cedar Mill in Cedar Springs. Also, several of the group members start seeds in peat pots or flats at home.
This year, there are two specific planting dates already set. Many more volunteers are needed because the goal is to harvest two tons of food this year. If you would like to help, volunteers will meet on Wednesday, May 10, at 7:00 p.m., at Post Farms, 9849 Myers Lake Road, to plant seeds in the greenhouse.
Once the seeds are ready to be transplanted outside, other dates and times will be determined for planting and a schedule will be set for weeding and harvesting. If you love to garden, want to learn more about gardening, need to put in hours for community service at your school, or have a desire to feed people in need, then call Deb McIntyre, volunteer coordinator at the NKCS, at 616-866-3478 ext. 103 Monday–Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No gardening experience is necessary.

The above dolls were chosen as the winners in United Bank’s Dress the Doll contest. (L to R) Third place was Hylock Kennels. Fran Rood holds their pink/white pinafore doll with straw hat; first place went to Christine Green with her masquerade ball doll; and second place went to the pink-outfitted skater doll, created by Deanne Wright Scott (not pictured). Kathy Perez of United Bank holds the doll. On the far right, Sandy Waite, of North Kent Community Services, holds last year’s winning doll, also by Christine Green.

Each year, residents around the area have fun dressing up a doll, from United Bank of Rockford, in an original outfit to give to a little girl in need. And this year was no exception.
The dolls came back to the bank in all types clothing and themes, and the public voted on the ones they liked best.
The winner, Christine Green, of Rockford, created a masquerade ball doll. This is the second year in a row she’s won, something that has never happened before. “She was happy and surprised she won again,” said Nancy Martin, Vice President of United Bank.
Deanne Wright Scott took second place for her pink-outfitted ice skater. Third place was the pink and white pinafore doll with straw hat sponsored by Hylock Kennels.
While all were pleased to find out they had won, they don’t lose sight of the purpose of the contest.

1st place winner Christine Green

The 100 dolls dressed in the contest go to North Kent Community Services to be a little girl’s Christmas present.
“The real winners are the children who receive these dolls on Christmas morning,” said Kathy Perez of United Bank.
Sandy Waite, Executive Director of North Kent Community Services agreed. “It is great seeing the smiles on the parents’ faces as they select one of these dolls for their child,” she said.