When Barbara Carter interviewed to be a social worker at Lighthouse Sanctuary, a shelter for homeless youth, the interviewer asked her one question that came as a surprise: “Can you cook?”

“Can I cook? Yes I can,” Carter told the interviewer.

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A Michigan woman has spent days preparing Thanksgiving meals for kids in need. She said it’s not the food, but the sense of family that they need most.

“We just want to embrace the youth here and make them part of a larger family,” said Barbara Carter, a residential specialist at Lighthouse Youth Sanctuary, a program for runaway and homeless youth.

Lighthouse offers shelter, essential services and meals. And on Thanksgiving, the meal is special, of course, created by Carter for the program’s young people.

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Genisys Credit Union has a long history of supporting Lighthouse’s ongoing efforts to build equitable communities that alleviate poverty. In recent years, the Genisys team has raised funds, made generous donations, volunteered, and donated thousands of turkeys to local families in need.

This year, the credit union did something different. Genisys reimagined how to maximize volunteer impact and build stronger community connections by transforming its home office in Auburn Hills into a mini warehouse for the day. 

“Every year, our team volunteers at the Lighthouse warehouse assisting where needed and packing boxes for Thanksgiving,” explains Theresa Doan, Director of Social Responsibility. “This year, packing the boxes at our office allowed us to provide 100 Thanksgiving boxes ready to go. We created awareness about the need in our community and enabled more team members to get involved right in our building.”

By bringing the operation in-house, the credit union created a convenient space for team members to donate and pack boxes. Collaborating closely with Lighthouse, which supplied boxes and itemized lists of necessary items, Genisys purchased the food, opened its lunchroom, and established a system that allowed employees to participate throughout the day – whether they had just a few minutes or several hours to offer.

“This approach helped save space during a busy time at our warehouse and engaged many more volunteers than it would have otherwise,” said Lighthouse CEO Ryan Hertz. “We are incredibly grateful to the Genisys team for always thinking outside the box about the best ways to help, and for their continued support.”

Throughout the day, more than 200 Genisys team members participated. The mood was upbeat as colleagues worked side by side, each playing a role in supporting families across the community. The initiative showcased the collective power of small acts of kindness and highlighted how working together can achieve remarkable results. In all, the Genisys team provided more than 1,200 pounds of food for local families in need.

“Our hope is that this approach can serve as a model for other organizations, regardless of their size,” Doan added. “Lighthouse simplifies the process by providing a list of necessary items and boxes, making it easy for any group to turn their workspace into a mini distribution center. Together, groups can make a meaningful impact by supporting those in need during the holiday season.”

Genisys Credit Union’s partnership with Lighthouse extends far beyond the Thanksgiving food drive. The organization is dedicated to year-round support, including various volunteer efforts and renovations of critical spaces such as the Family Emergency Housing building in Pontiac, the art therapy room and media room at Lighthouse’s Sanctuary program for runaway and homeless youth in Royal Oak, and kitchen spaces at Lighthouse’s headquarters in Pontiac. By providing both time and resources, Genisys demonstrates its commitment to making a lasting impact.

“The team at Genisys supports Lighthouse because we believe in being a ‘beacon of light’ for the communities we serve,” Doan said. “Helping neighbors and working together to make neighborhoods a better place to raise families, enjoy senior years, work, and play is central to our mission.”

This Thanksgiving and beyond, Lighthouse is grateful to Genisys Credit Union and all who work so hard to make a meaningful difference in the lives of community members. Thank you from all of us at Lighthouse.

If you’d like to help, donate to our holiday campaign here.

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Formed in 2019 from the merger of South Oakland Shelter and Lighthouse of Oakland County, Lighthouse endeavors to build equitable communities that alleviate poverty, in partnership with—and in service to—individuals, families and organizations.

Lighthouse’s strategy includes addressing the immediate needs of people in crisis, providing long-term housing and economic solutions, and creating systems of change largely by addressing affordable housing gaps throughout Oakland County.

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Lighthouse was established in 2019, when Lighthouse of Oakland County and South Oakland Shelter combined forces and merged agencies. LOC was founded in 1972 and started with a group of volunteers who provided food and clothing from the back door of a local church. SOS was established in 1985 by seven religious congregations in Oakland County. The new Lighthouse will leverage the best of both agencies, providing direct services such as food, shelter, rental/utility, financial assistance, crisis referrals, and housing programs that develop and support self-sufficiency. Ryan Hertz, Lighthouse CEO, joins Michigan Voices to talk about the organization’s Thanksgiving and Christmas programs.

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Nonprofit Lighthouse is putting together thousands of holiday meal kits with the help of Gleaners Community Food Bank in Pontiac.

Thousands of pounds of food will be given out to anyone who needs it, no questions asked.

The goal is to help build up communities.

Angela Gill, the food programs manager with Lighthouse, said volunteers will be handing out the food meal kits all day long.

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Thanksgiving is around the corner. But there’s one organization making sure Oakland County families in need have what they need for the holidays.

“The holidays can be lonely for people, they can be a really hard time,” said Angela Gill.

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The Nicosia family stopped by CBS News Detroit to talk more about the Lighthouse Thanksgiving food program.

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At 8 and a half years old, Hazel and her 6-year-old sister Alice have become food juggernauts for the nonprofit Lighthouse in Pontiac. The nonprofit said food insecurity is growing almost faster than they can keep up in terms of how many people they’re feeding.

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