Volunteering at NCCS

I just started volunteering a couple of weeks ago at NCCS.  I help out at the Food Pantry check-in desk in the lobby on Wednesday mornings.

It's not super hands-on like I imagined, but it's nice to have an opportunity to work with people and be polite to them.  Just because you're receiving public assistance doesn't mean it has to feel like a trip to the DMV; I'm sure things are hard enough already.

They are always looking for volunteers - especially long-term ones, even if it's just a few hours a week.  Services to the community have increased a lot lately because of the economy, and it's hard to keep up with the expansion without the help of volunteers.

www.nccsCARES.org

Critters in the Compost

The dogs had a major freakout just now - there was a possum rooting through the compost pile behind the garage. I shined the flashlight on him, he blinked at me a few times, then went back to snacking.

NOW HIRING - GM Wood Products in Newaygo

NOW HIRING - GM Wood Products in Newaygo. Seasonal wood working positions. Apply online at www.trilliumjobs.com or call 231-796-0666.

Newaygo County Online - useful website

 Newaygo County Online is a good website that has been around for a while.  It has a free classified ad section, info on local parks and recreation, and a discussion forum.

http://www.newaygocounty.com

I usually go there for the classifieds - buy/sell/trade etc - much more reliable than Craigslist for local stuff.

Now Hiring - Fremont Rapid Lube

On west Main Street across from the farm co-op. Their marquee says they need a part time lube tech. Inquire within.

As always, don't forget to check for other jobs at the Michigan Works website or http://www.indeed.com/ (search in the 49337 ZIP Code).

Tamarac - low income discounts

Tamarac is great for exercising and becoming healthy, but the monthly cost can be out of reach for many people.

The Fremont Area Foundation will help low-income individuals pay some or all of the monthly fee. They offer income-based scholarships twice during the year from March 1st - 31st and September 1st - 30th.

During those times, you can apply for the scholarship by going to Tamarac and filling out a form at the main desk.  You may also call 924-1790 for information.  Thanks to the Fremont Area Foundation and Tamarac for teaming up to provide this!

Local businesses interested in providing memberships for their employees can contact Shannon Shatney, RN, MSN at 924-1464 for more information.

Source: Tamarac website, http://www.tamaracwellness.org/

Newaygo Junior Lions PTO Auction - Sat March 6

The Newaygo Junior Lions PTO (Velma Matson & Vera Wilsie) is holding an auction on Saturday, March 6 at Velma Matson. Each of the elementary classrooms is putting together a gift basket or working on an art project to be auctioned off. There are also a record number of donations this year from local businesses, businesses in MI (Mariott in GR) and some from Chicago and possibly Florida. There will be raffle drawings as well. There will be a movie available for children during the auction. If anyone wants more information they should email newaygopto@hotmail.com.

There is also some time left if anyone local wants to donate an item to the auction. (It could be a good way to advertise local businesses.) Email newaygopto@hotmail.com, ATTN: Laura, ASAP!

Ice Rink Open on Barton Street

The City of Newaygo, along with NCRA and Brooks township, has purchased and remodeled a house next to the new skate park (corner of Barton and Ewing, uptown); it is now used as a warming house for the ice rink, which is located out back.  There are street lights focused on it, so you can go after dark.

Ice Rink Hours

Monday through Friday
3:00pm - 8:00pm

Saturday and Sunday
10:00am to 8:00pm

Skates are free to borrow in assorted sizes (donations welcome)
Snacks available for $1.00

Public bathrooms indoors, along with benches and free heat.  Parking located behind the building by the skate park.

Thanks to ice rink staffer Shannon for showing me around!

Newaygo Job Search

Need a job in Newaygo County? Visit www.indeed.com . Not all employers post jobs on the same sites, so this collects postings from everywhere. Search for 49337.

NOW HIRING

Gerber Life Insurance is currently hiring for Inbound Call Center for sales, customer service, and underwriting tele-services.  They provide most or all of your training, but previous sales, retail, or customer service experience is a plus. Must be comfortable with computers.

Go to:
http://www.nestleusa.com/PubCareers/Default.aspx

Don't type anything into the search box, just hit the big 'Search' button on the left side.

This will give you a big list of all jobs in the USA.

The job locations can be sorted by clicking on "Location". Click "Next" a few times until you start seeing jobs for Fremont, MI.

Good luck!

(If you type Fremont into the search box at the beginning, for some reason it only shows you the jobs for the food research center, not the Life Insurance division)

Garden Fever

Sure, it was 26 degrees with a foot of snow on the ground when I let the dogs out this morning, but it won't be long until spring. All I want to do lately is get started on our vegetable garden.

My husband spent some time a few summers ago helping out on an organic farm, so we've been putting his skills to good use in our back yard.  Last year was a bust because of the infamous August 31st frost, but usually we get a good crop.

If you're thinking of putting in a veggie garden this year, the most important thing around here is to improve the soil first.  We live up on the hill by the skate park, and our back yard has lots of clay and rocks.  The first couple of years were spent breaking up sod, sifting out rocks, and adding topsoil to help smooth it out.

After breaking the sod by hand, we rented a tiller from Evergreen Rentals and tilled as deeply as we could to help make room for new roots.  It's $30 or $40 to rent for the day and it saves a lot of digging.  We usually mix in several bags of composted manure, which can be found for ~$1.50/bag at the Family Farm and Home store by Plumbs Grocery.  Our compost bins are another source of rich black dirt in the spring when we're putting in new veggies, and our dogs do a good job of scaring away critters.


Newaygo residents can buy bulk landscaping materials from the City Offices - delivery is free if you live within the city limits.  That has helped us out a lot - they delivered topsoil when we were starting the garden, mulch for building up our flower beds, 2" stone for our garden path, and crushed concrete for our driveway.

I can't wait to get started again!

Marshall Park Trail

Hey Marshall Park fans - I heard a wild rumor that the City of Newaygo wants to buy John Christensen's old house, located where Barton Street crosses Brooks Creek.  The idea is to extend the trail from Marshall Park all the way up the creek to Barton Street, so it'll come out near the skate park.

Cool!!

Newaygo News Group

If you have a Facebook account, make sure to join the Newaygo News Group. Currently it has almost 500 members, and is updated frequently.  Go there for info on WinterFest, Logging Days, happenings around town, public meetings, special events at the Sportsmans, news from the Chamber of Commerce, etc.  Tell your friends!