“When I was a boy, my family was going through hard times. My mother and father were trying hard to provide for me and my three siblings, but the bills often outpaced their income, and our family was referred to Love INC for assistance. We received food, winter wear, and Christmas gifts through Love INC, and most importantly were treated with dignity by volunteers who cared about what we were facing and wanted to help.
Years later, my father graduated as valedictorian with a degree in computer science and began his career in technology. Every Christmas, my mother would donate to charity. We never passed a bell-ringer outside of Plumb’s Grocery without putting something in the bucket. My mom told me it was important to help people who are going through a rough season, and to remember that our family had been helped, too.”
That experience stayed with him. As he grew older, Mike felt a deep calling to give back and live out his faith by helping others—just as his family had once been helped. Little did he know that one day he would become the executive director of the very same ministry that had helped his family when he was a child. Love INC helped his family break the generational chains of poverty, and he knows that others can do it too.
Mike is leading Love INC of Muskegon County to do amazing things to transform lives through churches working together and the power of Christ, including launching their most innovative initiative yet, the Love Café. This pay-what-you-can restaurant is a job skills training program and community connection venue. Staffed by volunteers from local churches, Love Café provides the dignity of choice and the luxury of a nutritious, high-quality plated meal at costs that are attainable for all. Plus, through Love Café’s paid job-skills training program, participants are prepared to obtain positions in catering, restaurant management, and hospitality. Access to this kind of training equips individuals with the resources they need to break the cycle of poverty for their families.
If you’d like to learn more, be sure to check out their website at lovecafemuskegon.com.
