CRC receives OCED grant to allow for outreach to the senior center & more
Food Pantry at the Community Resource Center. Photo courtesy of Carol Wotring.
by Sara Swanson
The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development’s (OCED’s) New Human Services Partnership (NHSP) recently announced they awarded grants of $40,000 each to nine local community organizations through the Mini Grant Program. One of those nine grants was awarded to the Manchester Community Resource Center (CRC).
Applications went through a thorough review process by a group of community volunteers with content expertise, community knowledge, and lived experience. The recommendations were then given to the NHSP Leadership Team, which is composed of City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County elected officials and administrative staff, for their review. The Board of Commissioners votes on the final approval of awardees.
Carol Wotring, Executive Director of the CRC, explained that the grant would be going toward general operations with most of it going toward funding for staff salaries, some toward rent, and some toward client record management software.
Services supported by this grant include: operation of a trauma-informed food assistance program, including open-choice pantry shopping, pick-up orders, home delivery, and emergency food distribution; intake, assessment, and navigation services; assistance with MI Bridges applications and renewals for public benefits, including SNAP, Medicaid, and State Emergency Relief; free VITA tax preparation services; and limited emergency assistance and resource coordination to help prevent eviction, utility shut-offs, and transportation barriers.
One new program the grant will be funding is outreach to the Manchester Senior Center. Wotring stated, “CRC staff will provide ‘office hours’ at the senior center a couple times per month, to provide information on what CRC does and connect people to resources they may not know about or may need help with accessing. The outreach at the senior center is scheduled to begin this fall.
Director of OCED, Toni Kayumi explained that NHSP is a collaboration between Washtenaw County and the City of Ann Arbor. She stated, “The goal of the program is to provide organizations with an opportunity to receive funding, try out new ideas, and foster partnerships between new agencies.” 2026 is the fourth year of NHSP’s Mini Grant Program.
The eight other groups receiving grants are Family Learning Center, Girls Group, Kayla’s Kitchen, Our House, Shelter Association of Washtenaw County Ypsilanti District Library, Ypsilanti Housing Commission, and Washtenaw Interfaith Council for Immigration Rights.
Wotring thanked OCED stating, “We are very grateful for Washtenaw County OCED supporting safety net services in Southwestern Washtenaw County!”
To learn more about the New Human Services Partnership, please visit www.washtenaw.org/NHSP or email Nicole Kennedy, Human Services Policy Specialist, at kennedyn@washtenaw.org. The learn more about the CRC visit manchestercrc.org, call 734-428-7722, or email info@manchestercrc.org.
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