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NEMCSA give annual report to Montmorency County commissioners

ATLANTA — The Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency gave its annual report for 2016 to the Montmorency County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday.

NEMCSA Outreach and Communications Coordinator Frances Whitney said NEMCSA has a core service area of 11 counties with Montmorency County being one of them.

NEMCSA is one of 29 community action agencies in Michigan and the largest geographically in the state.

Whitney said NEMCSA has 35 different programs for people to be a part of and a budget of over $51 million. There are early childhood programs, community-based care programs, aging programs, client services programs, youth services programs, volunteer programs, and community development programs.

“Our mission is to provide quality programs and services to strengthen and enhance the self-sufficiency of individuals, families, and communities,” Whitney said. “We want to help people by lifting them up and we focus on those who are experiencing economic hardship.”

NEMCSA provides services for over 2,800 children, over 8,500 households, and over 16,000 seniors. Whitney said there were 336,537 hours donated to programs in 2016.

“There were 614,114 meals provided to senior and homebound individuals throughout 2016,” Whitney said.

Whitney told the commissioners about the new website that has been launched in the past year. Whitney said that there are resources and links to what is available for people. The website gives people more opportunities to be able to communicate and reach out if they need assistance.

“We’re passionate to be able to go out and talk to people,” Whitney said. “We help people every day and hopefully, we’re nailing it every time.”

Whitney said Michigan Works is a part of NEMCSA and provides services and support to the workforce system.

“It’s scary the amount of assistance that is out there for people because they do not realize that it is available to them,” Commissioner Stacy Carroll said.

For more information on NEMCSA, visit its website at www.nemsca.org.

In other business:

∫ the board approved purchasing stab proof vests for correction officers for $8,343.80 from CMP Distributors. The board transferred the money from the general fund to the jail uniform line fund. Each full-time officer will get their own vest and there will be three generic sizes for those who work part-time.

∫ Chairman Daryl Peterson told the board about a note he received from Blue Cross. The note said the renewal for Blue Cross for Montmorency County has been released and the increase is only 0.14 percent. The note also said it is the best renewal it has received this year. Peterson said he was anticipating at least a 2 percent increase, so it is good news for the county.

Julie Goldberg can be reached via email at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.

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