East Lansing, MI – The East Lansing Rotary Club and the Kroger Company have proudly teamed-up again for an annual effort to support East Lansing’s Haven House. Each year, the Rotary club raises money from its members to provide Haven House residents with Thanksgiving dinners and household supplies. Founded in 1983, Haven House provides emergency housing and support services for one-parent and two-parent families with children. The shelter helps families who are homeless prepare for permanent housing by developing and promoting self-sufficiency, stability, and financial responsibility. The Rotary Club was able to raise record amount of money this year, thanks in large part to a generous contribution from the East Lansing Lodge 480 of the Freemasons.
The Rotary Club is providing three turkey dinners, and Kroger is donating two dinners to this effort aimed at making the Thanksgiving Day holiday a little brighter for the 30 family members currently receiving assistance from Haven House. Each turkey dinner includes: a 10-12 lb. turkey, 3 lb. potatoes, 2 lb. stuffing, 1 lb. gravy, 1 lb. cranberry relish and a pumpkin or apple pie.
A certificate for the dinners was presented to Haven House Director Angie Mayeaux by the East Lansing Rotary Club President Tim McCaffrey and club member John Saltzgaber at the Club’s November 21, 2011 meeting. “Our club is proud to support the Haven House each year. They are a constant reminder to us of the good things going on daily in our community”, said McCaffrey.
In addition to the turkey dinners, the E.L. Rotary Club also donated seven “exit baskets” filled with household supplies to Haven House. Haven House provides an “exit basket” to each family that leaves their program to go into housing on their own. Each “exit basket” contains 35 different household items, including: a laundry basket, sponges, tub/tile cleaner, disinfectant spray, toilet bowl cleaner, toilet bowl brush & holder, dish soap, laundry soap, bar soap, dryer sheets/fabric softener, 2 buckets, mop, broom, dust pan, furniture polish, window cleaner, floor cleaner, pan scrubbers, paper towels, toilet paper, kitchen cleaner, bleach, Pine Sol cleaner, shampoo, deodorants for men & women, a hairbrush and comb, room deodorizer, band-aids, first aid kit, pot holders, comet, baking soda, trash bags, a small trash can, and toothpaste.
“We’re really appreciative the efforts of Rotary and Kroger to provide a wonderful dinner on Thanksgiving Day for our families. And, the “Exit Baskets” donated by the Rotary Club will be a big boost in helping seven families get settled into their own housing,” commented Haven House Executive Director Angie Mayeaux.
The Rotary Club of East Lansing has a long record of community service dating back to its formation in 1961 – they are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary year. The Club has nearly 100 members and has supported a broad spectrum of community projects, like the Playground in the Park at Patriarche Park, the East Lansing Softball fields and Aquatic Center and the renovation of Haven House.
The Kroger Co. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio (NYSE:KR) is one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, with fiscal 2008 sales of $76.0 billion. Kroger operates five supermarkets in the Lansing area.