A Neighbor is a volunteer who shows up at least once a month with dinner or groceries for a family who needs support. Our volunteers build a friendship with their matched family, customizing their monthly deliveries to specific needs and wants. We act as the matchmaker between volunteers and families, freeing you to build a happy, simple, supportive friendship to last for years. Neighbors can apply here.

This program is for any family that is struggling or feeling isolated and would benefit from the loving support of a Neighbor. Our program is designed to serve families impacted by child welfare or facing a hard season. These groups could include but are not limited to: foster families, kinship families, adoptive families, reunified families, low-income families, single parents, refugee or immigrant families, or families navigating grief or loss. While this is the original intent of our program, our heart is to provide relational support to any family in need. Families can apply here.

Families who would like to receive support from a Neighbor can fill out an application here. After applying we will send you a link to our short orientation which takes about 20 minutes to complete. Once you complete the orientation, we will start searching for a Neighbor within 15 miles of you to make the connection.

We want to make sure everyone involved with the program feels safe. Each Neighbor completes a background check to help keep our families safe. In addition, both Families and Neighbors complete training as part of the application process to ensure the safety of everyone in our program.

The minimum commitment of a match is to drop off one meal per month. We ask our Neighbors for a six month commitment. Feel free to get creative! If breakfast is more helpful than dinner, do that. If take-out is more appealing than homemade, you are welcome to pursue that route! Some Neighbors are willing to drop off more than once a month, but that is up to the Neighbor and family to decide. If you are a family, please be specific with your food preferences, allergies, and/or specific dietary needs so that the Neighbor can bring you food that works for your family.

The best way you can support us is to share about what we’re doing! Refer your friends and families so we can reach even more people in our communities. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and tell your friends to do the same. You can also support TNP by making a financial gift. Our program is entirely volunteer operated and all donations go towards recruiting, training, matching and giving support our Families and Neighbors. If interested, you can donate here.

We are taking COVID-19 very seriously and require our volunteers and families to follow any current local health department guidelines. Neighbors and Families will have the opportunity to share their current comfort level so that we can match accordingly and show our respect and care for each other.

The Neighbors Project in Michigan operates in partnership with Families Together in Colorado. In 2017, Families Together began connecting families who were isolated with volunteer “Neighbors” who wanted to prove they were not alone. Neighbors started delivering meals and over time it became obvious how this crucial community support helped to stabilize families and children, giving them the support they needed to be healthy and remain together. We’ve personally experienced how important relationships are for families who are struggling. We know so many people who want to help and so many families who need support so we started the process to offer matching services in Michigan. Our team has been trained by the founders of Families Together and carries on many of their key practices, all with the goal of delivering supportive friendship and tangible support to families who feel isolated. To learn more about Families Together at Tennyson Center click here.