Giving Back
Doing something for the community.
All NorthPointe Resources program participants are encouraged to be active volunteers. Almost exclusively, program participants receive help from other people, which can at times be disempowering. When people with I/DD and mental illness are able to use their gifts and skills to help other people, they gain a fresh sense of independence and responsibility, which often brings increased feelings of self-esteem, empowerment, satisfaction, better health, and happiness.
Other benefits include:
- The opportunity to widen the typical day experience
- A chance to become members of the community and make new friends
- A sense of real belonging
Benefits to both the volunteer organizations and the volunteers are numerous, and good for the communities themselves. Unfortunately, persons with I/DD and mental illness are heavily underutilized in volunteer programs, despite their many potential contributions.
Two programs we currently participate in are:
- MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA
- FEEDING AMERICA FOOD BANK
Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America supports more than 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs across the country dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation.
Feeding America Food Bank
The Feeding America nationwide network of food banks secures and distributes more than 3 billion meals each year to communities throughout the United States.