They help others, now they're looking for help

ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A West Michigan charity is looking for help serving families in Allegan County.

The Martin Area Resource Center (MARC) helps an average of 150 families a month with food and clothing. MARC volunteers work a combined 310 hours a month, distributing more than 39,000 pounds of food and personal items, and more than 11,000 articles of clothing, but they still need more to meet an ever growing need.

Those who have never had to use the resource center might not even realize that it's there, tucked away in eastern Allegan County, but more and more people are finding their way there, and the center trying to stretch its resources so it can continue helping.

Harold Hammond is currently a volunteer and board member at MARC, but six years earlier, he needed help himself.

"We weren't making it, kids were going without," said Hammond.

It was families like the Hammonds that inspired Harvey Visser to start MARC some 20 plus years ago.

"It's my life-long dream, to help people," said Visser.

Visser donates the space for the clothing bank, food bank, appliance distribution and office space. Now, with an increase in demand, the money to keep running the center is extremely tight.

"Started with three families, the last three years, the numbers keep jumping," said Visser.

The food bank alone is serving 120 families a month as of late, up from just 50 a month in 2007. The air conditioner needs to be replaced, the freezers need to keep running, the buildings are in desperate need of repair, and there's just one paid part-timer to administer to it all.

"If the building is not heated, there is no electricity, and no one to oversee the programs, then the programs don't exist," said executive director Tracey Robrahn.

The center is hoping that those in the area who are doing okay financially will step up to keep the center running, so that those in need will still have somewhere to turn.

As it stand, the center likely only has enough money to stay running for another few months.

MARC is asking the community at large to consider making a 2009 tax-deductible donation to the Martin Area Resource Center so that it can continue to serve those in need.

Those interested in making a donation can send one to

Martin Area Resource Center

P.O. Box 186

Martin, MI 49070

Anyone with questions, or who would like to know more about the MARC can contact executive director Tracey Robrahn a 269-672-5605 or 269-207-6409.