Highlights from Women’s Service Day 2022!

We’re still buzzing from the success of this year’s Women’s Service Day and wanted to share some of the stories about our incredible volunteers! Below is just a sample – if you have any special moments from your experience as a volunteer, we’d love to hear! Send an email to womensserviceday@gmail.com.

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Harvest Stand Ministries

“I just wanted to share a story with you from this last week. We absolutely loved having the volunteer group here and they were wonderful to work with. They served doing things that are not the most fun things to do and they did it with a smile. The ladies asked a lot of questions and we loved the opportunity to meet them and share with them about our mission. One of the things that they asked was what items we have the greatest need for, they noticed working in the pantry that we have a lot of some items but hardly any of others. I shared with them that we are often low on things like pasta sauce, cooking oil, snacks, breakfast items, condiments, etc. When I came in on Saturday to get ready for an event, we had entire cases of these items on our shelves. Now I don’t know if these ladies dropped the donations off, but it was such a blessing to us either way. I wanted you to know that THEY were such a blessing to us. Thank you”

– Jessica Starks | Office and Communications Coordinator

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Kids Food Basket

Our incredible volunteers packed packed 741 meals for that evening PLUS 626 meals for the following night in one session! Way to go!

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Nestlings

The morning crew at Nestlings set an agency record for the most diapers wrapped in a session: 14, 412 diapers total! Our agency contact stated that they usually can wrap about 20,000 in a week, but our volunteers nearly hit that number in just a few hours!! Way to go!

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The Period Project

The Period Project was very happy with the collection of personal care products–nearly everything was suitable for their purposes! Thanks to all of your donations, we donated 4 large boxes of supplies for girls in need.

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Eighth Day Farm

The Eighth Day Farm team was so appreciative of all volunteers and for the donation from the charity fundraiser, which was matched by MillerKnoll Cares and equaled $4875.86 in total! 

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Community Action House Kitchen

The leftovers from lunch were sent to Community Kitchen. Their chef was so grateful! We donated two large pots of chili, sugar, flour,  garlic, dessert, etc. Enough to feed quite a few.

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Thank you again to all who donated, participated, and showed up to support Women’s Service Day 2022! You are the reason we are able to help so many in our community!

Here are a few more shots from that day:

Thank You for an Amazing 21st Women’s Service Day!

Yesterday wrapped the 21st Women’s Service Day and we wanted to extend a HUGE thank you to our volunteers, participating agencies, and all who attended any portion of this incredible day of service!

130 volunteers across 13 agencies

(To see our historical numbers of hours volunteered, funds raised, and gifts in kind donated, visit our History page that highlights two decades of philanthropy from our community.)

This year was a beautiful, sunny fall day that featured 130 volunteers registered to serve 13 agencies in the morning and afternoon. Many participants and agency representatives joined us for our networking and charity lunch to benefit Eighth Day Farm.

We are thrilled that our volunteers raised $2875.86. Along with a match and bonus from the MillerKnoll Foundation, the grand fundraising total was $4875.86! Plus, volunteers donated a several boxes of feminine products for The Period Project.

Stay tuned for the full story with event photos to see all we accomplished in just one day!

For now, we just want to say thank you for opening your hearts, pulling on your work clothes, and supporting your community!

– The Women’s Service Day Organizing Committee

Nancy Corvers, Harris Hof, Marcia Davis, Cindy DeGraaf, Sue Gadbois, Alison Lechner, Lois Maassen, Carolyn Maalouf, Angie Martin, Jill Ryan

What to Expect on Women’s Service Day 2022 (10.6)!

We are so excited for your enthusiastic participation on Women’s Service Day this year!

Here’s what to expect:

Volunteer Crews

• Please review your SignUpGenius communications to be sure you know what clothing or equipment might be helpful to your specific assignment.
• For a morning or all-day crew, plan to arrive at your worksite in Holland at 8:30 a.m (or 9 a.m. if volunteering with Kids Food Basket). 
• For an afternoon crew, plan to arrive at our lunch location by noon for a celebration lunch. If you are unable to attend the luncheon, please arrive at your worksite by 1:30 p.m.

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Lunch Details

Our lunch celebration will be from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hope Church, centrally located at 77 West Eleventh Street in Holland (between River and Pine Avenues, just south of downtown Holland and west of Centennial Park). 

Note that Pine Avenue is closed for construction from 10th Street south. Enter 10th Street from the east to park on the street or in the church parking lot, or park in the west lot (furthest from the building) of the United Methodist church, just north of Hope Church between 9th and 10th Streets. Overflow parking is available in the back lot of the Methodist Church across the street from Hope church. Please do not park in the front lot of the Methodist Church.

A $10 donation will cover your lunch, with any surplus to be donated to Eighth Day Farm.  

We’ll hold a raffle to support Eighth Day Farm. Proceeds from our raffle (tickets are $5 or 3 for $12; or $10 each or 3 for $25) will support Eighth Day Farm in providing donated fresh, locally grown produce to Community Action House and their Food Club. Bring your wallet! (We’ll accept cash, check, credit card, and Venmo.)

More details on lunch and the charity fundraiser can be found here.

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Donation Drive

We’ll also collect items to donate to Period Project 49423. Here are the items they need most:

1. Summer’s Eve Cleansing Cloths (individually wrapped wipes)

2. Always Radiant Teen Pads

3. Tampax Radiant Tampons regular absorbency, unscented

See the full wish list of items here. Please bring your donations to lunch! We’ll have boxes ready to collect them. 

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Last-minute change in plans (sickness, business crisis, etc.)? Please update your registration in SignUpGenius or email us as soon as possible. To contact event organizers the day of the event, call or text Angie at (616) 283-3341.

Follow the day through photos on Facebook and Instagram (@womensserviceday) and updates on Twitter (@womenserviceday). Share your experiences with the hashtag #WSDHolland!

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Looking forward to seeing you Thursday!

The Women’s Service Day Organizing Committee

Nancy Corvers, Harris Hof, Marcia Davis, Cindy DeGraaf, Sue Gadbois, Alison Lechner, Lois Maassen, Carolyn Maalouf, Angie Martin, Jill Ryan

A WSD Satellite in SE Michigan!

Building networks among women has been a goal of Women’s Service Day (WSD) since the very first event in West Michigan 20 years ago. That network is now paying off in an unexpected way! 

In late summer, the WSD planning team was contacted by several women who work for Yanfeng in West Michigan and in Novi; they’re a part of the Women’s Resource Network at that company. Several of them had participated in the West Michigan WSD event; others had heard about it from coworkers. 

They didn’t want to miss out, and they saw an opportunity for women to come together on the east side of the state to do the same kind of good our volunteers have accomplished here! They’ve worked with local-to-them agencies to identify volunteer opportunities, and are ready to launch this first satellite WSD event this Thursday, October 14. Agencies supported are:

• Earthworks, where volunteers will do seasonal garden maintenance
• Crossroads in Michigan, where they’ll package condiments for the soup kitchen
• First Step Domestic & Sexual Violence, where they’ll beautify the area outside of the shelter
• Food Gatherers, where they’ll sort donations and pack food boxes
• Michigan Council of Women in Technology, where they’ll pack bags for high school students

Like the “mother” event, the SE Michigan event is using SignUpGenius so volunteers can select the opportunity that’s most appealing, and one or two half-day crews. This event has been publicized within Yanfeng by the Women’s Resource Network; they welcome friends, family, and colleagues from other organizations. 

Available opportunities are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that the Women’s Service Day Planning Team has put these protocols in place for in-person participation:

• Mask wearing is required indoors regardless of vaccination status
• Mask wearing is required outdoors when social distancing is not possible
• Follow CDC and State of Michigan DHHS guidelines for recommended protocols 

How can you help launch this SE Michigan event? Spread the word! The initiative to create this event demonstrates that our networks extend across Michigan and beyond.

Help Babies, Stay Safe

WSD planning team members show how easy it is to help our community while staying socially distant.

Since August, we’ve been promoting Women’s Service Season, four ways to help women and children in our community:

1. Volunteering in-person (safely) or from home
2. Giving financial support
3. Giving or collecting items nonprofits need 
4. Joining (and spreading the word about) events nonprofits themselves are planning 

Our volunteers have been sharing their stories on social media–and these are eligible for our Volunteer Appreciation Awards. (Participate by October 31 to win!)

Some of our planning team members decided to coordinate a volunteer project ourselves to show how safe it can be to help our community, especially in this time of urgent need.

In operation since 2011, Nestlings Diaper Bank has been near and dear to the Women’s Service Day team since we began partnering with them in 2013. This agency serves as a central location to collect, store, and distribute diapers that have been donated by the local community or purchased through fundraising efforts. Diapers are one of the top unmet needs for low income families. One in three families living at poverty level struggles to diaper their babies and children. Yet diapers and wipes are not provided by any government assistance programs.

When COVID hit, the need increased. Compare these numbers:

March 2019 – Nestlings provided 12,000 diapers to 36 agencies in West Michigan

March 2020 – Nestlings provided 43,000 diapers to those agencies

In April, they provided another 30,000 diapers, even though no one was able to volunteer on-site until July. Finally, in September, the numbers started to level off to what’s normal for Nestlings. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need volunteers: Nestlings is primarily a two-women operation that relies on community help. Our team pitched in for an afternoon.

View our slideshow to see how safe and easy it is to volunteer at Nestlings. Diaper wrapping stations are physically distant–for a maximum capacity of five people–complete with sanitizer and disinfected after each use. Masks are required, of course. Our team of four wrapped 2,500+ diapers during our volunteer slot one afternoon.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you’re interested in volunteering, learn how you can help. Or consider hosting a diaper drive with an organization you belong to.

We had a pleasant, educational, and safe experience–and the reward of being able to help babies at a critical time of need.

17 Reasons to Save the Date: October 4

Landscaping as part of the 2016 event.

This year will be the seventeenth year of Women’s Service Day, which will be held Thursday, October 4, 2018. In honor of those years, we’ve put together a list of 17 reasons why you should save the date:

1. To help women and children in our community
2. To see old friends
3. To make new friends
4. For the blueberry crisp served at lunch
5. To learn a new skill
6. To get a good night of sleep after a day of manual labor
7. Because you have to use those volunteer hours somewhere
8. For the chance to win cool stuff in the raffle
9. To soak up the energy of 200 other women volunteers (and maybe a few good men volunteers, too)
10. To set a good example
11. It could boost your happiness, according to research
12. For the opportunity to learn about what agencies are doing in our area
13. To use gifts and talents that you don’t get to use while sitting at a computer
14. It’s a great chance to network
15. It’s a good excuse to get out of work for a day, or half a day
16. It’s another chance to wear your cool WSD 15-year anniversary T-shirt or hoodie
17. To be the change you want to see in the world

For now, all you need to do is mark October 4 on your calendars, and maybe tell a few friends. We’ll send more details as the date approaches.

Save October 5 for WSD!

Our fifteenth anniversary was a huge success, with more volunteers (180) working hard to be the change we all want to see in the world. And we raised more than $3,000 for continuing renovations at Pathways. Go, us! But we’ve never been one to rest on our laurels–and we figure you aren’t, either! So please save Thursday, October 5, for Women’s Service Day. That’s all you need to do for now. Watch this space for details. And watch this video to get inspired!

Reminders for Volunteers Serving October 6

Women’s Service Day is Thursday and the planning team is finalizing details. Registered participants should have received their crew information by now. If you haven’t, please e-mail us right away. Here are a few things to remember:

Start times: Morning crews will begin at 8:30 a.m. and afternoon crews will start right after lunch, between 1:15 and 1:30.

Apple crisp for dessert at lunch

Lunch (and lunch money)! Our lunch celebration will be from 11:45 to 1 p.m. at Hope Church, centrally located at 77 West Eleventh Street in Holland (between River and Pine Avenues, just south of downtown Holland and west of Centennial Park). We request a minimum of $5.00 for lunch, an amount that has remained steady for over ten years. Any additional dollars you can give will help defray continuing increases in food prices! (Cash will be collected upon arrival at the church.)

Your checkbook for the raffle. (Check out the slide show of sample items!) Red Raffle Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $12; White Raffle Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25. Proceeds will help support continuing renovation work at Pathways MI, with some portion covering minor event costs.

Diapers for Nestlings

Your diaper donation. During lunch, we’ll also be collecting disposable diapers (especially sizes 4, 5, and 6) and wipes for Nestlings Diaper Bank, a clearinghouse that provides diapers to low-income families and babies. (Or you can donate directly to Nestlings online.)

Dress for the weather and the tasks you’re assigned: work gloves, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, and bottled water are suggested items you may want to consider. Our plan to do everything possible, rain or shine!

You can follow the day through photos on Instagram and updates on Twitter (@womenserviceday) and tweet your own experiences, too, using the hashtag #WSDHolland.

If you have a last-minute change in plans (sickness, business crisis, etc.) and are unable to participate—or just need directions—please contact us via e-mail as soon as possible.

Looking forward to seeing you on this Thursday!

Where We’ll Be Serving in 2016

We have a record number of women signed up this year! We’re thrilled—and so are the area agencies we’ll be serving. Here’s how volunteers will be working with the agencies to help women and children in the community.

• Center for Women in Transition creates and sustains an environment that enhances the voice, opportunities, and strength of women and girls in Allegan and Ottawa Counties. Volunteers will be sorting and organizing curriculum for the Girls on the Run program.

• Eighth Day Farm uses urban fields as a classroom to cultivate healthy and sustainable communities locally and globally. Volunteers will be weeding, harvesting, planting garlic, and cleaning.

• Holland Rescue Mission develops and delivers programs of excellence for the homeless and less fortunate. Volunteers will be cleaning all of the daycare rooms, including equipment and toys, at the Stepping Stones Day Care from top to bottom, as well as deep cleaning and organizing the offices at the Family Hope Ministry Center. They will also help clean and organize the catering closet.

• Kids’ Food Basket aims to attack childhood hunger to help young people learn and live well. Through its Sack Supper program the organization serves nearly 7,000 kids each weekday in West Michigan. Volunteers will be making sandwiches for Sack Suppers, which will be distributed to local children later that day.

• Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity builds housing with partner-owners based on the principle that everyone deserves a decent place to live and that our community is a better place when that occurs. Volunteers will be working to complete a new home construction in Holland.

• My House Ministry provides a safe place for women to eventually transition into independent living. Volunteers will be working at two housing locations in Holland, doing a variety of tasks: washing windows, cleaning, sanding drywall, vacuuming, painting indoors and outside, hanging curtains, yard work, and several other home improvement jobs.

• My Sister’s House II, sponsored by the Holland Deacons’ Conference, cares for women with physical and developmental challenges by assisting them with the activities of daily living in an adult foster care home. Volunteers will be cleaning, washing floors, walls, door frames, windows etc. They will also help organize cupboards and closets, and may be planting bushes.

• Nestlings Diaper Bank serves as a central location to collect, store, and distribute diapers that have been donated by the local community or purchased through fundraising efforts. Volunteers will be wrapping diapers into packs of 12 for distribution through area nonprofit organizations to mothers in need, and possibly stuffing envelopes for a mailing or helping out with light office duties.

• Pathways, MI is committed to demonstrating excellence in providing responsive and compassionate service to all individuals, families and communities who seek their assistance. Services they provide include: counseling, early childhood programs, Great Start Western Regional Resource Center, parent and family support and education, foster care, adoption and participation in community efforts to improve life for children and families. Volunteers will be continuing last year’s renovation project to make the facility more welcoming by cleaning up baseboards in preparation for laying carpet, installing blinds, and painting. Outdoor work will include landscaping and clean-up of the central courtyard.

• Ready for School aims to create communities of readiness where all children thrive and reach their full unique potential. Ready for School prepares children for success by equipping parents through integrated support of the Holland/Zeeland/Hamilton communities. Volunteers will disinfect, clean, organize, label, and update inventory of toys and materials in bins that the organization uses to engage families with young children in the community.

• The Salvation Army is an international movement, motivated by the love of God to meet human needs in Jesus’ name without discrimination. Volunteers will clean and re-sort the pantry, which needs a fresh look. This food pantry is available to people in southern Ottawa County and most of Allegan County who are in need of some supplemental pantry items. It offers a large selection of both perishable and non-perishable items.

What? You’re volunteering but want to do even more?

That’s awesome! Consider holding a donation drive within your network for the Nestlings Diaper Bank, a clearinghouse that provides low-income families and babies in need with diapers and wipes, for the following items: Disposable diapers (especially sizes 4, 5, and 6) and wipes. They also accept open packages of diapers. We’d be happy to add your contribution to ours on October 6! Or—easiest of all!—you can donate directly to Nestlings online.

We’d also love your financial support for our continuing renovation work at Pathways MI, where many of you worked hard over the last two years. Donations fund the paint, carpet, and furniture that makes the facility welcoming and healing for the children and families who receive services there.

• We’ll also be hand-crafting delicious pigs-in-blankets during our Women’s Service Day event on the 6th, with, again, proceeds going to the renovation fund for Pathways. Pigs are $12 for a dozen, and orders must be received by October 1. Order yours via this online form.

• Monetary donations may be made directly to Pathways through their website. All gifts are tax-deductible. To support Women’s Service Day projects there, choose the Building Renovation Fund option when you click “donate.” (Note that Pathways becomes a program of Arbor Circle Corporation on October 1, so you may receive a receipt from that organization.)

• To complete the project at the Pathways MI facility, we’re on the lookout for furniture, equipment, and supplies, as well as skilled trades and crews willing to volunteer throughout the year. Please contact us to discuss our needs.

Thank you! Every little bit helps!