1. Client Statistics
We served 470 households in July, 864 adults and 785 children. That is 33 households
fewer than in June. In July we had 79 new clients. We averaged 21 households a day in
July and 23 in June.

2. Volunteers
We have 52 regular volunteers.

3. Donation Status
Our most pressing current needs are:

  • Small household appliances; microwaves, toasters, coffee pots, blenders, and fans
  • Blankets/comforters (all sizes)
  • Bed sheets (all sizes)
  • Towels and washcloths
  • Athletic shoes, both men’s and women’s
  • Pajamas for men, women, and children
  • Men’s jeans and athletic pants
  • Underwear (preferable new)
  • Can openers
  • Vacuum cleaners

4. Business/Community Contacts
Saturday, July 25, ten volunteers from First United Methodist Church worked at the
House for their Church’s Day of Service. Together with four of our regular volunteers,
they tackled several major tasks, including vacuuming all floors, mopping the tile areas,
cleaning the foyer windows, and hanging summer clothes.

5. Community Outreach
None.

6. Facility Status
The Washtenaw County Facilities Department replaced our telephone landlines with a
cellular-connected device. The volunteers love the upgrade, particularly the caller ID
feature and no longer needing to dial "1" for outside calls.

Busch’s Fresh Food Market gave us fifty shelving units they no longer use. Our
volunteers picked them up, brought them to the House, and are replacing older shelves
in the household items room with the new (to us) shelves.

7. Safety Issues
None.


8. Incidents
None.

9. Areas that need attention
None.

10. Client Stories

Here are stories shared this month by our check-in and check-out volunteers:

  • A woman visiting from California came to shop alongside her birth mother, who
    was moving into a new home. The mother, starting over, needed all essential
    household items.
  • A donor came from Howell, in Livingston County, to drop off bedsheets and linens.
    As a child, her family sought support at the House when her mother escaped an
    abusive marriage. She remembers picking out pretty dresses at the House when
    she was little. Now she loves giving back by helping others.
  • We welcomed a client visiting her son from China. Speaking limited English, she
    explained her son had recently moved abroad for work, leaving her here on her
    own. We were glad to help her find the summer clothes she needed.


11. Overall Appearance and Organization
The store, sorting, and tagging areas are looking well.

House Manager Report
August 11, 2026​

Submitted by Gemaya Griffin, House Manager