South County Community Services (SCCS) is the only human service agency dedicated to serving the 25,000 res-idents who live in the southern tier of Kalamazoo County. This includes the townships of Brady, Climax, Pavilion, Prairie Ronde, Schoolcraft and Wakeshma.

With a mission to work with families to improve quality of life, the agency serves as the dynamic hub connecting persons at all life stages with the resources they need to manage life’s challenges and opportunities.

Thirty-three percent (33%) of South County residents live below the poverty line of are families who have diffi-culty meeting basic needs such as food, utilities, transpor-tation, and healthcare expenses on a dependable basis.

Thirty-seven (37%) of the population is over 55 years of age. Many of these families live on fixed incomes. Even families with reasonable incomes can be facing huge chal-lenges having to do with aging and abrupt changes outside their control. The largely rural nature of the SCCS service area creates additional access and transportation issues for South County residents.

All residents are welcome to contact SCCS and our goal is to make sure everyone feels welcome, respected and supported before they leave.

2018 Financial Assistance SnapshotMost visitors to SCCS begin with the SCCS Emergency Assistance Director to determine their needs and make a plan. In 2018, the agency completed 537 emergency assistance sessions providing assistance to 211 house-holds which benefited 619 individuals, across all ages and locations, in the service area. The chart below provides additional detail.

Area Agency on Aging IIIa

Area Faith Leaders, School Districts and Libraries

CCTA — Central County Transportation Authority & METRO Transit

Family Fare of Vicksburg

Generous Hands

Grossman, Horne & Cannizzaro PC

Housing Resources, Inc.

Individual and Family Donors

Kalamazoo Community Foundation

Kalamazoo County Department of Health & Human Services

Kalamazoo County State Bank

Municipality Sessions # Served

Brady Township 91 88

Brady/Village of Vicksburg 59 70

Climax Township 8 14

Park Township 6 5

Pavilion Township 66 61

Prairie Ronde Township 6 13

Schoolcraft Township 122 139

Schoolcraft Township/ Village of Vicksburg 78 84

Village of Schoolcraft 18 36

Wakeshma Township 54 67

Homeless 10 14

Other 19 28

TOTALS 537 619

Our Key Partners Make It All PossibleKalamazoo County Veteran Service Office

Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes

Lions Clubs of Schoolcraft & Vicksburg

Meijer, Shaver Road

Prairie Ronde Township

Schoolcraft Township

Senior Services, Inc

United Way of Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region

Vicksburg Farmers’ Market

Vicksburg Foundation

Vicksburg United Way

Village of SchoolcraftImproving Life for South County Families

2018Annual Report

Note: SCCS reports regularly to outside funders such as Area Agency on Aging IIIa and United Way to verify use of funding as requested. SCCS complies with best practices in accounting and completes an independent financial review or audit annually.

Basic Needs Financial Assistance (Dollars)Purchased Food for Pantry 5,157Utilities 12,456Transportation 6,071Housing 1,719Clothing Vouchers 1,504Medical 1,050Phone 340Holiday Basic Need Expenses 17,350Help-a-Vet 600Kinship Caregivers 8,712

2018 Total Financial Assistance $54,959

Vicksburg Food PantryVisits 1,338Individuals Served 4,370Days of Food 17,480Pounds of Food 44,986

Schoolcraft Food PantryDeliveries 600Individuals Served 1,272Days of Food 2,400Pounds of Food 13,264

Transportation ServicesOne-Way Rides on METRO SHARE VAN(Volunteer Drivers) 1,977

Professional AssistanceEmergency Assistance Sessions 537Individuals Served 619Households Served 211Kiosk Sessions with Department of Health & Human Services 23Senior Outreach Visits 356Seniors Served 78Senior Client Hours 411Veteran Service Visits 62

Program AssistanceWednesday Winners for Adults with DisabilitiesKinship Caregivers for Seniors Raising ChildrenSAFE AT HOME Helping Keep Seniors in Their Homes

Community SupportFood Donations in Pounds 17,322Household Donations in Pounds 3,260Faith Partners Holiday Gift Recipients 412SCCS Membership Circle 12,695Volunteer Hours 4,572

YOU CAN HELPAdvocate

Join the SCCS Membership Circle

Donate

Volunteer

Spread the Word

Visit the SCCS Webste www.southcountycs.com

606 N Spruce Street, Vicksburg MI 49097269-649-2901

How SCCS Served Area Families in 2018

2018Annual Report

Note: SCCS reports regularly to outside funders such as Area Agency on Aging IIIa and United Way to verify use of funding as requested. SCCS complies with best practices in accounting and completes an independent financial review or audit annually.