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A picture of pumpkin sales to raise funds for Redemption Farms, a Howard City-based non-profit that aims to provide a recovery space for people working to recover from addiction. Redemption Farms will host a free Community Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day at Grace Community Church in Howard City. — Submitted photo
HOWARD CITY — Whether you can’t afford a decent Thanksgiving dinner or you are just hoping to spend some quality time getting to know your neighbors, Sandra Cooper has Montcalm County’s Panhandle area covered.
Cooper, the creator of the nonprofit Redemption Farms, is hosting a Community Thanksgiving from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, at Grace Community Church, 9920 Reed Road in Howard City just north of M-46.
The free event is open to the public and offers an opportunity for families and community members to share a meal, connect and celebrate gratitude.
Sandra Cooper of Howard City is the founder of Redemption Farms, a non-profit that aims to provide a recovery space for people working to recover from addiction. Redemption Farms will host a free Community Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day at Grace Community Church in Howard City. — Submitted photo
Cooper is still working to find a location for her vision for Redemption Farms; she wants to provide a recovery space for anyone working to recover from addiction who may also have a spouse or children. The Howard City woman knows this challenge personally: She went through recovery from substance misuse herself. She had young children at the time and so she couldn’t go to a recovery house or rehab center without leaving them behind.
Cooper now works for Our Hope Association, a long-term residential treatment center in Grand Rapids. She has a vision for opening Redemption Farms somewhere in Montcalm County as a welcoming and suitable place for entire families to reside while one of the family members is being treated for recovery from addiction.
“The idea was given to me, I believe, by the Lord,” she said.
Cooper hasn’t purchased the property for her vision yet, but she’s made progress in other ways over the last seven years of her efforts. Redemption Farms received its 501c3 status in April to function as a non-profit. In the meantime, Cooper has done a deep dive into higher learning — she earned her bachelor’s degree in human services and her master’s degree in organizational leadership and she is currently working on her second master’s degree in social work.
“I am extremely busy but I thrive in chaos,” she said with a laugh.
Cooper hosted her non-profit’s first event this past August, a craft fair at Grant Christian School to raise funds for Redemption Farms. Now she is preparing to host her first community dinner — a Thanksgiving meal, no less.
The concept felt overwhelming at first, but the positive community response has been overwhelming as well.
When Cooper was looking for a venue to host the dinner, she posted about the need on Facebook. Nathaniel Madonna, the associate pastor for Grace Community Church, saw Cooper’s post and was inspired.
“I immediately saw this as something that Grace Community Church could help with,” Madonna said. “As our name suggests, it’s our desire to be a church that’s for our community. We want to love and serve our Tri County neighbors just as Jesus has loved and served us. We know many could use a hand with food right now, and others may simply be looking for a place to gather with others, so we want to be a blessing this Thanksgiving any way we can.”
Cooper already has 35 volunteers lined up to run the event (including her husband and five children) along with countless people who are donating food.
The logo for Redemption Farms, a Howard City-based non-profit that aims to provide a recovery space for people working to recover from addiction. Redemption Farms will host a free Community Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day at Grace Community Church in Howard City. — Submitted photo
“The entire community has come together in such a beautiful way,” Cooper said. “I’m so blessed to be a part of it.”
Guiding Light, which provides food to the rehab center where Cooper works, donated five turkeys. Love in the Name of Christ in Newaygo donated $250, Harvest Fremont Church (which Cooper attends) donated $250, a discipleship group Cooper is involved with donated $250 and a private individual donated $100.
Leppinks and Meijer grocery stores each donated a $100 gift card (which Cooper is going to raffle off at the event to help two families who could use the extra money).
“I know food is really a struggle for some families right now,” she noted.
Anyone is welcome to simply show up for the free dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
“I just hope that people can join around a table and have a good meal with friendly faces and be able to keep their dignity,” Cooper said. “I want them to feel better than when they walked in. I just want people to come and see us and have some food.”
For more information about the event, call Cooper at (231) 856-3871 or email sandra.cooper@redemption-farms.org. You can also visit the Redemption Farms Facebook page for more information about the non-profit.
