Giving back in Constantine and White Pigeon

Published on Monday, June 24, 2019 in Internet

June marks a significant milestone in our quest to bring high speed fiber internet to rural southwest Michigan. We've reached 10,000 customers and to celebrate, we have donated $10,000, with partnership support from Wolverine Power Cooperative, to the communities that fell into our fifth year of construction.

Here are the recipients in our Constantine/White Pigeon internet zone:

$2,000 Village of Constantine
For many years kids from Constantine and other neighboring communities would spin to their hearts' delight on the merry-go-round at South Washington Park. So it was a sad day when it had to be removed.

“For as long as I can remember, the park had a merry-go-round, and we did everything we could to keep it but it became unsafe,” noted Marti Brown, township clerk and chair of the Village of Constantine Parks and Recreation Committee.

Now with funds from the Constantine Area Community Foundation (CACF)*, the Department of Natural Resources, several downtown businesses and our $2,000 donation, a new merry-go-round will delight kids for years to come. “We're excited to bring this treasured park staple back,” said Brown.

“We're proud to contribute to the continued improvements of our local parts,” said Kathy Messner. Projects like these go hand-in-hand with our goal of promoting philanthropy and community involvement with our children.”

This project is part of the Parks and Recreation Department's five-year plan to improve the beautification and recreational opportunities for area families. The new merry-go-round will be roughly eight feet in diameter and is expected to be installed later this summer.

Follow the CACF and the Village of Constantine on Facebook to learn more about what's happening in this great SW Michigan community.

*The CACF is a geographical affiliate of the Sturgis Foundation.

Pictured above (left): CACF President Kathy Messner and Constantine Township Clerk Marti Brown show us the park where the merry-go-round will be installed.

$500, White Pigeon Food Pantry

Tyler Royce wears many hats in White Pigeon. From serving as Village President to Assistant Fire Chief, his dedication to serving others is unwavering and it's what motivated him to start the White Pigeon Food Pantry.

“Several years ago, the fire department had approached The Care Network because we wanted to be more involved in the Christmas food drive. At the time, we were told there wasn't enough support to continue the drive. So that's when we decided we wanted to do what we could to help keep this kind of thing going,” he said.

From that the food pantry was born and earlier this year, it moved to a new location at 103 N Kalamazoo making it more accessible and visible to local residents. In fact, last month, they served 54 families which was the highest number served in years.  The pantry is run entirely by volunteers and our donation of $500 will go towards general operating expenses.

“We're dedicated to helping our local families and are working to get the community as involved as possible. Volunteers from local churches, the library and Sturgis Bank & Trust actively participate,” he noted.

The food pantry is open Wednesdays, 9-11 a.m. and the third Monday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Families can be served one time per month. Learn more on Facebook.

Pictured above (right): A local volunteer helps load up a food box for a family.

The post Giving back in Constantine and White Pigeon appeared first on MEC.