By Marti Benedetti for Crain’s Content Studio
Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities used its emergency funding from The Children’s Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to provide Meijer and Kroger gift cards to families impacted by the pandemic.
“We have a history of working with The Children’s Foundation that started two years ago,” said Wassim Mahfouz, senior executive director of Dearborn-based LAHC. “The Foundation reached out to us with this grant. Receiving the funds was a seamless process.”
Mahfouz said his organization looked to Wayne County schools to provide lists of families that could benefit from the gift cards. “Many of the families have six to 11 people,” he said.
Most gift cards were delivered by mail; each card was worth $50, but larger families were gifted with two to four gift cards.
Recipients of the cards included many who lost jobs and were waiting for unemployment. “These cards came right on time for these families,” Mahfouz said.
Besides food, LAHC provides social services such as clothing and shelter, career services, translation and advocacy. It also has a youth and education department, which provides academic enrichment and leadership development.
