A lively and lovable 4½-year-old, Miggy has been at the Humane Society since November 13, 2023. This sweet boy was adopted once, but through no fault of his own, he was returned – still eager to find the right family.

Let’s face it – most dogs are loved by their owners, pampered and considered to be members of the family. But there are far too many dogs out there that are chained, neglected, unfed, shivering in the cold and often abused. While these words may sound like that certain ASPCA commercial we all avoid watching on TV, they describe an unfortunate reality.

The Fli River Anglers (FRA) is a nonprofit organization and chapter of the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC). Co-founded by avid fly fishermen Jeremy Piper, Ryan Thompson and Adam Haffajee, FRA’s mission is threefold: improve angler access to the Flint River, increase access to angling for underserved youth, and bring hunting and fishing conservation groups together to maximize the impact of their shared missions. “Conserve, preserve and improve local waterways for enjoyment by anglers,” says Piper, “that is our goal.”

“When we refresh others in giving, we refresh ourselves.” This is the motto of the Donations With Love Foundation (DWLF), a non-profit founded in 2015. “We are a diverse organization and we help everyone,” says Founder and CEO Darcele Cole-Robinson, PhD, LLMSW-C, a graduate of Flint Northern High School and University of Michigan-Flint. DWLF is part of the Genesee County Prevention Coalition, which creates partnerships to address substance use and mental health disorders impacting Genesee County youth and adults.

Since she was a child, Nicole Stilson, DVM of Linden has loved horses and did anything she could to be around them. It was that passion and love of horses that inspired the founding of Carousel of Hope Miniature Horse Therapy in May 2022. The organization’s purpose is to provide mobile equine-assisted therapy and activities to children and adults of all ages and abilities.

Did you know that every night, right here in Genesee County, more than 200 individuals are living in emergency shelters? According to Shelly Hoffman, Development Director at Shelter of Flint, Inc., countless others live on the streets, sleeping on a friend’s couch, in a car or an abandoned building.

Everyone deserves a good night’s rest and there is an organization in Flushing whose mission is to make sure that children who’ve been sleeping on the floor have a bed of their own in which to sleep.

Let’s help make the holidays magical for everyone! This is the season of giving to those who are less fortunate. There are many agencies and organizations that help the needy in Greater Flint and surrounding communities during the holidays. These local groups can use your donation and your generosity can make the season just a little brighter.

For many of the people of Greater Flint, homelessness has been a constant threat since the 1980s and the problem has only grown, with record increases in rental rates and a lack of affordable traditional housing. Today, it is estimated that nearly 600,000 people are experiencing homelessness throughout the country and, of those experiencing it, nearly 6% are United States Military veterans. In Greater Flint, the percentage of homeless vets is much higher. “It is estimated that between 15-40% of the local homeless individuals are veterans,” states Katie Baxter, CEO of Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties. “In this group, there is clearly a need. After everything they have done for us, it just doesn’t seem right.”

Cash, June, Pie, Grace, Willow, Levi, Imogene and Finn are the names of the horses and donkeys that live on Charlie’s Forever Farm. Owners Matt and Ranae Bauserman have dedicated their lives to saving abused, neglected and forgotten farm animals and providing them a loving home.

An affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan (NFBMI) is an organization that believes in the full capacity of blind people and has the power, influence, diversity and determination to help transform their dreams into reality. MCM sat down with NFB Flint-Genesee Chapter President Sheila Fulmore, Vice President Leo Napier and Chapter Secretary Felecia Bradford to chat about what their volunteer organization does and how they help the blind and visually impaired.

Charlotte Lancaster made a promise. After years of going through trials and tribulations in her life, she prayed for a change. Homeless after a horrific domestic trauma and having lived on the streets for years, she was headed down the wrong road. “I acted out and all sorts of stuff,” she says. “At 16, I became a young mother with no place to go.” Later, she found herself in another troubling situation in Indiana and felt that enough was enough. “I was in a bad place in Indiana and I had made some bad decisions in my life up to that point,” she remembers. “I sat down in a park and I prayed for help. I promised that if God helped me turn my life around and get out of that situation, I would dedicate myself to helping young ladies like me – homeless and in need of a place to go.” Soon after, Lancaster was able to make her way back to Flint and find the purpose and self-respect that had been missing in her life. She eventually found a career, raised a family and retired. All the while, she never forgot the promise she made and in 2007 she opened the doors of Building Strong Women (BSW) – a non-profit organization providing transitional housing/room and board to women and their underage children in need of temporary shelter as they get back on their feet.