ABOUT US

Saline Area Social Service is a 100% community-funded organization in Saline, MI that serves over 600 people each year. Our primary services are food assistance and emergency aid. SASS clients either reside within the boundaries of the Saline Area School District or live outside of Saline with children attending Saline Area Schools. In just the last year alone, we were able to provide over $348,241 in food and paper product donations to the families we serve. We also help connect our clients with a variety of other resources beyond our agency. Whether our clients’ needs are financial, physical, emotional or require information, we’re here to help.

We provide food, emergency aid, and support to those in need in the Saline community. We aim to build a stronger community of neighbors helping neighbors.

In 1961, Marian Hering started the Saline Area Social Service to provide Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to those in need. She recruited a board of directors with one of the members being Ruth Garrison. Ruth handled the daily operations out of her basement on Henry Street. The office consisted of a phone on the wall, and occasionally people would come to her home seeking clothing and gas money. The holiday baskets were put together in her basement. Some years the baskets numbered as few as seven or eight. Aid to guests has changed over the years to meet the community’s needs and available funding. In addition to holiday baskets, now as many as 100, SASS has assisted with rent, utilities, clothing, prescriptions, and food. The food pantry is our current largest aid to the Saline community.

SASS has always been a people-friendly and non-judgmental place for our neighbors to come when they need assistance. That will not change as we grow and sustain SASS in the future.