Welcome, Haley!


We’re excited to introduce Haley, our new Development Coordinator!
She’ll bring her talents to our event planning, marketing, and donor relations efforts. Haley has held several other development positions at other nonprofits in the area. Feel free to stop and chat if you see her in the hallways, she is eager to get to know everyone. Join us in welcoming Haley as she helps us strengthen connections within our community and further our mission of serving our neighbors.

More about her:
Haley brings a decade of experience in office administration and non-profit development, where she has honed her skills in helping organizations thrive. She has steadily built her career into a platform that allows her to do what she does best: helping others. Driven by her personal experiences with mental health discrimination and healthcare challenges, Haley is deeply passionate about advocating for equality, dignity, and empowerment for all people. In addition to her professional pursuits, Haley is a talented artist and musician. She sings, plays guitar, and ukulele, and has had her artwork shown at the Gerald R. Ford Museum. Haley lives in Kentwood, MI, with her two furbabies, Moby and Kora.

Welcome Haley!

Christmas Distribution 2024: A Shining Success

This year’s Christmas Distribution was a heartwarming success! A total of 271 families with 450 children registered for the event and received toys to ensure their holiday was full of love and excitement. Alongside the toys, we also prepared and distributed 378 food bags, so that families in Lowell could enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner together.

The event was made possible thanks to the generosity and hard work of our dedicated volunteers, donors, and supporters. Together, we brought joy, hope, and holiday cheer to our community. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event such a shining success!

A Community Bright and Cheerful

Alecia’s earliest memories of FROM were from long ago, visiting Treasures Thrift Store in its earliest days to find needs and wants.

In 2012, Alecia was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. With all that comes with a life altering diagnosis, Alecia found herself in need of some help.

She still isn’t sure who requested help for her through the Repair & Restore (formerly Neighbor to Neighbor), a FROM program that provides weatherization and small home repairs, but help was there.

“The next thing I knew I had a whole group of people at my home, putting new floors and repairing a few doors,” Alecia shared. She felt seen and cared for. Her understanding of what FROM could do in a time of needed expanded as well.

Along with Repair & Restore, and Treasures Thrift Store, Alecia has also taken part in the FROM Christmas Food Basket & Toy Store programs. She loved that she was able to pick out special gifts for her children.

A sense of community blossomed for Alecia. Over the years, she has continued to frequent Treasures Thrift Store. So much so; she finally became a volunteer, serving as a cashier, and in the book department.

Today Alecia’s life is full and busy. With her cancer in remission, she fills her time with family, volunteering, and her favorite pastime, reading! She has seven bookshelves of books!

“I’m lucky compared to so many other people out there, I have fantastic kids and a wonderful husband,” she said. “There will always be something on the horizon that would be nice to have but what I have now is quite lovely.

Alecia complimented the people who make FROM, FROM, saying they are, “bright and cheerful.” We think she’s one of them.

Inspiring the Next Generation in Giving Back

Now a FROM staff member, McKenzie’s first days here at FROM were as a volunteer. At an early age she and her sister would come along with her grandmother, Sylvia, to volunteer.

McKenzie (L) and Sylvia (R) pose for a photo together. Sylvia get McKenzie involved volunteering nearly 20 years ago.

Sylvia, now a committee member working diligently on our housing capital campaign, has been our Interim Director, Food Pantry manager, and a board member throughout our history. She would bring the sisters along for volunteering. From serving in the food pantry to a spring cleanup, the girls got hands-on experience of being part of a community that helps one another.

One of McKenzie’s favorite memories volunteering as a child was for a spring cleanup

“This year in particular there was a lot of flooding, and I remember being in the basement of this home pulling out rotted baseboards, broken shelving, and building materials.” She went on to say the impact that day left on her, “it was a group of people, not just myself or my family. A group. A collective. A community coming together to help their neighbors.”

While reflecting on her journey with community service and family connections, McKenzie shared, “It has truly been a full circle moment for me, to see what it was like as a young volunteer now being an adult staff member. Without my grandmother as an inspiration and mentor I would not be the woman I am today, nor would I know anything about FROM.”

Sylvia shared her heart from serving came from her family.
“I believe as a Christian and a family that has been very blessed, serving is not only a duty but also a great benefit to myself,” Sylvia shared. “Many times, I have been as blessed with the experience of service as I feel I have contributed by serving.”

FROM is certainly blessed for the heart and hands of Sylvia, her foundation of giving and her teaching of service and her granddaughter, McKenzie.