LANSING, Mich. —LAFCU’s month-long toiletries and food drive netted 912 pounds of donated items for an Eaton Rapids charity, Heart and Hands Inc.
The charity has been working with those impacted by the fire at Meridian Magnesium Products of America, an auto parts manufacturing plant in Eaton Rapids and the community’s largest employer.
“LAFCU and Heart and Hands opened their arms wide to help those affected by the fire at Meridian Magnesium,” said Paul Malewski, Eaton Rapids mayor. “Even a temporary closure of such a large employer has a ripple affect on our entire community for an extended period of time. Knowing we have this ‘safety net’ should be a great comfort and relief to all.”
Malewski said the brief closure of the manufacturer not only affected employees of the plant, but also those who work at support businesses, such as restaurants and other retail stores, that were not frequented as often or at all by plant employees.
“LAFCU is invested in the people and businesses of this community,” Kelli Ellsworth Etchison, LAFCU’s chief marketing officer. “When they hurt, we want to help. This is what credit unions are based upon … ‘people helping people.’ The outpouring of support by our members and the public shows they, too, embrace this principle.”