Dear Neighbor,
I hope this letter finds your family safe and healthy. I would like to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day and extend my appreciation to those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedoms.
Featured in this newsletter:
- Double Up Food Bucks
- Michigan Health Department is Offering Free Gun Locks
- Summer Meal Programs Available to Michigan Children
- Loving Homes Needed During Foster Care Month
- Essential Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month
- Guidance on Creating Tick-Safe Zones Around Residential Properties
- Explore High-Wage, In-Demand Careers During Professional Trades Month
- Health and Wellness Fair
- Supporting Local Businesses in District 10
If you have any questions, want to comment on pending legislation, or resolve any issues in state government, please do not hesitate to contact my office by phone at (517) 373-8360 or by email at SenPWojno@senate.michigan.gov.
Sincerely,
Paul Wojno
State Senator
District 10
Double Up Food Bucks
Buying food is expensive right now, especially for our neighbors struggling to put food on the table. Double Up Food Bucks is here to help. For those who shop for groceries with a SNAP/Michigan Bridge Card, they can double their benefits to purchase fresh, Michigan-grown fruits and veggies using Double Up Food Bucks. The program is available at 230+ participating farmers markets, farm stands, and grocery stores across Michigan. With farmers market season around the corner, it’s a great time to use the program! Learn how it works and find a participating location near you at DoubleUpFoodBucks.org.
Michigan Health Department is Offering Free Gun Locks
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan State Police (MSP) have partnered to purchase and distribute 75,000 cable-style gun locks to Michiganders. These free locks will be available at all MDHHS offices while supplies last. These gun locks are being distributed as an effort to keep children safe and protected from firearms. You can also get free gun locks through Project ChildSafe Partners across the state. Click the link to search for partners in your area.
Summer Meal Programs Available to Michigan Children
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), also known as Meet Up and Eat Up, is available for children to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations, when they do not have access to the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs. This program is operated at the local level by program sponsors and is administered in Michigan by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Nutrition Services. To find a Meet Up and Eat Up Site please call 2-11 or text “food” to 304-304.
Loving Homes Needed During Foster Care Month
This May is Foster Care Month, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) wants to spread the word that more loving foster families are needed to temporarily care for children while the state works to reunify them safely with their parents.
Michigan has approximately 10,000 children in foster care, and temporary foster homes are needed for children of all ages, especially teens, sibling groups, and youth who have special needs. These children have been victims of abuse and neglect and need a nurturing environment until they can be safely reunified with their parents or — in a smaller number of cases — until they can find adoptive homes when it’s not safe for them to return home.
MDHHS has shared several stories about people who have made a difference in the lives of youth in Michigan in Faces of Foster Care. To learn more about foster care, visit Michigan.gov/HopeforaHome.
Essential Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month
With one in five Americans and nearly 1.5 million Michiganders experiencing mental health issues each year, it’s important to remind ourselves to care for our mental and emotional health. If you find yourself emotionally struggling or experiencing a mental health crisis, please be sure to utilize the following resources and remember — you matter!
Crisis Lines
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 is a 24/7 toll-free nationwide hotline that provides confidential and compassionate care for anyone struggling with behavioral health issues, emotional distress or substance use crisis. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit their Lifeline Chat to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
- Veterans Crisis Line: The Veterans Crisis line provides veterans and their family members with 24/7, confidential support. To connect, call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 or text 838-255. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to call.
- Trevor Lifeline: The Trevor Project has trained counselors who understand the challenges young people in the LGBTQ community face and are available for support 24/7. Call 1-866-488-7386, text 678-678, or click here to speak with a crisis counselor.
Locating Treatment Services
- Michigan 211: If you need assistance locating long-term mental health resources, talking through a problem, or exploring mental health treatment options, call 211 or visit mi211.org to speak with a live person who can help. All conversations are confidential, can be made anonymously, and are available in 180 languages upon request.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Visit FindTreatment.gov, a confidential and anonymous resource, to locate treatment facilities for mental and substance use disorders near you.
- Michigan Community Mental Health Services Programs: CMHSPs provide a comprehensive range of services and supports to children, adolescents, and adults with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and substance.
Guidance on Creating Tick-Safe Zones Around Residential Properties
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is advising Michigan residents of the dangers of ticks and providing tips for preventing encounters. As warmer weather approaches, so does the increased risk of tick encounters, posing potential health threats to people and pets enjoying outdoor activities.
There are more than 20 known tick species in Michigan. Most often, they survive by feeding on wildlife. Several species of ticks are known to bite people and pets; and the insects may harbor dangerous bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Not all ticks carry diseases, but tick-related diseases (including Lyme disease) do occur in Michigan and can be serious or fatal if not properly diagnosed and treated.
Here are some simple techniques to help reduce tick populations around your home:
- Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns.
- Place a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns, wooded areas, patios, and play equipment. This will restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
- Maintain short grass in lawns and keep leaves raked.
- Stack wood neatly in a dry area to discourage rodents that ticks feed on.
- Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees. If possible, place these items in a sunny location.
If you do choose to use pesticides, follow these safety tips:
- Always follow label directions and wear the personal protective equipment specified on the label.
- Store pesticides in their original containers with proper labels.
- Keep pesticides locked up and out of the reach of children and pets.
- Use the amount specified on the label. Using additional product will not be more effective and may harm you, your pets, and/or the environment.
- Wash clothes that have been in contact with pesticides separately.
- Wash hands with soap and water after using a pesticide, including insect repellents.
- Use the Environmental Protection Agency’s search tool to find a repellent product that is right for you.
If you are interested in hiring a pesticide applicator to manage pests for you, choose a firm licensed by MDARD. Licensed firms meet the necessary education and experience requirements and employ pesticide applicators who have passed MDARD’s proficiency examinations. Their training and experience will help prevent accidental pesticide misuse that could harm people, pets, livestock, and the environment.
For additional information about ticks, including how to identify and remove a tick, visit the MDHHS website. Learn more about pesticide safety at Michigan.gov/MDARD.
Explore High-Wage, In-Demand Careers During Professional Trades Month
With more than 520,000 Michigan jobs and approximately 45,500 annual openings in the professional trades projected by the year 2030, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to proclaim May as Professional Trades Month. The annual observance honors hard-working Michiganders in professional trades while encouraging students and adults to explore education and career opportunities leading to high-wage, in-demand careers.
Businesses across Michigan need highly skilled workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction, education, energy, healthcare, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, mobility, and outdoor recreation. Many of these high-demand, high-wage careers do not require a four-year degree and have pathways that focus on credentials, certificates, on-the-job training, and Registered Apprenticeships.
To learn more about high-wage, in-demand career opportunities in the professional trades, Michiganders can explore the following resources:
- State Apprenticeship Expansion, which allows users to explore registered apprenticeship opportunities in the state, offering paid work experience, related classroom instruction, and a national industry-recognized credential upon program completion.
- Going PRO Talent Fund, which helps individuals secure employment, industry-recognized credentials, and strong wages by providing training grants to Michigan businesses to support employees in high-demand, professional trades industries.
- Pathfinder, which is the state of Michigan’s official career exploration resource that allows users to explore careers and identify educational opportunities throughout the state.
- Pure Michigan Talent Connect, which is the state’s online platform for connecting job seekers and employers.
Health and Wellness Fair
On Saturday, June 8, there will be a Health and Wellness Fair in Detroit. This fair prioritizes spiritual, mental, physical, and financial health. Included in this fair will be free health examinations, free immunizations and shots, mental health consults, financial consults, exercises, “ask the doctor” segments, healthy cooking and eating demonstration and competition, along with food trucks, prizes, and music. This event will be taking place at the Open Door Cogic-Detroit, at 12411 East Seven Mile Detroit, MI 48205. To register for their fair please click here.
Supporting Local Businesses in District 10
Our community is filled with a diverse mix of small businesses which not only serve the needs of residents but also fuel our local economy. Recently, I had the pleasure to stop by Sweetjay’s Bakery in Warren to learn more about their business, sample some of their sweet treats, and present their founder and head pastry chef Jenita “Jay” Davis with a tribute from the state of Michigan.