Announcing the 2021-2022 SASS Student Representatives

Saline Area Social Service (SASS) is pleased to announce the selection of Blake Coy, Grace Dillon, Carter Harris, Kalle Kargel, and Kathryn Winters as Student Representatives for the 2021-2022 school year.  

For the length of their term, the Student Representatives will join the 14 active SASS Board Members in their policy discussions, community engagement, and help to identify student needs in the Saline Community. Each Student Representative is committing to give 1-2 hours of volunteer services at SASS each month, assisting in SASS client food distribution events and community food drives, and organizing a drive, donation event, or volunteer activity with a student group over the course of the school year. 

Mr. Harris and Ms. Dillon, both seniors at Saline High School, are returning this year for their third term as SASS Student Representatives.  

“We welcome Blake, Grace, Carter, Kalle, and Kathryn to our Board and look forward to their contributions,” said Betsy Marl, Student Representative Board Advisor. “Our student representatives help provide the Board and staff at SASS with a better understanding of the student population and the opportunities we have to make a greater impact in this area.” 

An open application process for Student Representative positions took place in September. High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors were eligible to apply. SASS sought students who were passionate about fighting local food insecurity and serving their community, as these individuals bring an important voice to the organization’s decision-making process.  

SASS is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization that serves the City of Saline and a portion of the surrounding townships.  The organization has a 60-year history in Saline and is the only local resource that provides food and emergency relief. Of their 300+ clients, nearly 40% are children and 20% of the adults served are senior citizens. During the early months of COVID-19, SASS provided assistance to nearly 700 people per week, nearly double the average amount of people the organization served per week prior to the pandemic. With the help of the Saline Community in 2020, SASS was able to distribute enough food for over 160,000 meals, provide back to school supplies and shoes, boots and snow pants to area youth, and help with emergency assistance, such as eviction, utility shut off and car repairs. 

“Being a SASS Student Representative is a hands-on opportunity to learn about diverse populations and needs within our community,” said Anne Cummings, SASS Executive Director. “Many people in Saline don’t realize that poverty exists here and that there are people in our community that need our help. Student representatives are a vital part of SASS as both volunteers and advocates for our services.”
 

About Saline Area Social Service 

Saline Area Social Service (SASS) is a private, tax-exempt non-profit organization that has been in the community for 60 years and serves the most vulnerable students, families and senior citizens that live in and around the Saline area.  With 2,740 individuals in Saline experiencing food insecurity, it is SASS’s mission to provide our short- and long-term aid, directly and through referrals, to its participants in need. For more information, visit salineareasocialservice.com 

Website: salineareasocialservice.com
Phone: (734) 429-4570
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalineAreaSocialService  

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