tfs cares
Kindling Community - Community Giving Campaign
The results are in...
The Fire Station works diligently throughout the year to support causes, events, and organizations that operate within communities it serves across the Upper Peninsula. As a local organization, TFS understands the strong community values that resonate throughout the U.P.
How it worked.
In mid-February 2024, The Fire Station kicked off its first ever Kindling Community Campaign. Customers and the community at large were invited to vote for their favorite non-profits across the Upper Peninsula to receive a donation from TFS. Non-profits were identified by TFS staff as being aligned with one or more of the organization’s core values. There were up to three non-profit organizations who participated in the campaign across all six of the U.P. counties where The Fire Station operates, for a total of 15 participating organizations.
Our impact.
The 501(c)(3) with the most votes from each county received $1,000, and the organization with the second most votes was awarded $500 each. For the counties that had three participating non-profits, the third place organization received $250. In total, The Fire Station gave out $9,725 in donations through its spring 2024 Kindling Community Campaign.
Learn more about the participating non-profits:
Menominee County
The Copper Country Humane Society (CCHS) is a non-profit (501c3) organization that is dedicated to the welfare and humane treatment of animals. CCHS provides the following services for Keweenaw, Baraga and Houghton Counties plus the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). 100% of the money needed for vet care, spay/neuter and medical needs for the 900 animals CCHS cares for annually is raised through monthly fundraising events and private donations. We thank you for all the support.
The mission of the Menominee Animal Shelter is the prevention of cruelty to animals, the relief of suffering among animals, the sheltering and placement of animals, and the promotion of humane education. MAS will provide humane care and treatment for all animals needing protection in Marinette and Menominee Counties and the surrounding area; seek the return of lost animals to their owners; find suitable, loving and forever homes for animals without owners; provide humane euthanasia when necessary; encourage and facilitate the prevention of the birth of unwanted animals; provide education to the general public regarding the proper care and treatment of animals; and prevent cruelty to all animals.
All children have a right to a safe home with loving people to care for them. However, each year in Michigan and Wisconsin, thousands of children experience abuse or neglect. Over 15,000 children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care, relative care, or an institution.
Raven Wood Gardens INC is a purposeful and sustainable gardening experience using organic gardening techniques that became a 501c3 Non Profit Organization on February 3, 2023.
We always have health and wellness in mind. We use certified non-GMO seeds, natural composting, companion planting, soil probiotics, and beneficial insects, such as soil enriching red worms in our therapeutic gardens.
All weeds are hand picked. No commercial pesticides are ever used. We also have happy chickens!
Marquette County
Room at the Inn was founded in 2007 by a small number of churches organized by Helen McCormick. It was Helen who saw the need for emergency shelter in our community and dedicated herself to ensuring that Room at the Inn establish itself as an private non-profit organization that provides food, shelter, and assistance to those individuals transitioning out of homelessness. For 14 years Room at the Inn operated as a rotating shelter between local churches until 2020, where we established Marquette’s first ever permanent emergency homeless shelter.
In February of 2019 Room at the Inn started an initiative to provide a permanent shelter in Downtown Marquette, that would replace our rotating shelter model through local churches. After raising the funds necessary, gaining community support, and obtaining the necessary permits to complete the project, Room at the Inn successfully opened the doors to our new shelter on December 24th 2020.
We remodeled the three-bedroom apartment above our Warming Center into a 30-bed Emergency Shelter, which now provides 24/7 shelter access. Today we are proud to say we provide all of our services under one roof, and continue to address the issue of homelessness within our community with vigor, enthusiasm, and hope!
UPAWS is a local non-profit organization run and staffed by your neighbors. The shelter makes decisions on caring for homeless, unwanted, abandoned and abused domestic animals based on what they believe is best for them. UPAWS has no affiliation with any larger group and receives no funding from any larger group that might influence our decisions or actions.
The Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter advocate only for the animals in our care to help them find their forever home.
UPAWS does not receive operating funds from any governmental agency. The organization relies on donations from the community. UPAWS consistently saves 98% of the animals who come to shelter – an award-winning success story.
We are here not for income, but for outcome! Although we are based in Marquette, Michigan, SAIL has been serving individuals with disabilities and their families across all Upper Peninsula communities since 1998. Our staff provides information, resources, referrals and support services to people with a wide variety of disabilities, both visible and invisible. SAIL’s core pillars of service are advocacy, transition, independent living skills development and peer support. We also work on a larger scale, helping local businesses, and other organizations to make changes that improve life for everyone in the community.
Room at the Inn was founded in 2007 by a small number of churches organized by Helen McCormick. It was Helen who saw the need for emergency shelter in our community and dedicated herself to ensuring that Room at the Inn establish itself as an private non-profit organization that provides food, shelter, and assistance to those individuals transitioning out of homelessness. For 14 years Room at the Inn operated as a rotating shelter between local churches until 2020, where we established Marquette’s first ever permanent emergency homeless shelter.
In February of 2019 Room at the Inn started an initiative to provide a permanent shelter in Downtown Marquette, that would replace our rotating shelter model through local churches. After raising the funds necessary, gaining community support, and obtaining the necessary permits to complete the project, Room at the Inn successfully opened the doors to our new shelter on December 24th 2020.
We remodeled the three-bedroom apartment above our Warming Center into a 30-bed Emergency Shelter, which now provides 24/7 shelter access. Today we are proud to say we provide all of our services under one roof, and continue to address the issue of homelessness within our community with vigor, enthusiasm, and hope!
Iron County
We are a non-profit farm created to provide sustainable food security through community empowerment. Our mission is to produce locally grown nutritious food with our community, for our community.
The Northwoods Animal Shelter, a non-profit corporation supported by and committed to the community of Iron County, Michigan, shall operate and maintain an Animal Shelter Complex which offers a safe refuge where basic needs are met and limited medical care is provided for surrendered, stray and neglected animals. As part of our ongoing commitment to humane animal treatment, we shall promote community awareness regarding responsible pet ownership in a courteous, professional, and compassionate manner.
We are a non-profit farm created to provide sustainable food security through community empowerment. Our mission is to produce locally grown nutritious food with our community, for our community.
Located in Caspian, Michigan, the Iron County Museum is one of the largest outdoor museum complexes in the U.P. and is the designated “Log Cabin Capital of Michigan” with more historic log structures than any place in the state. Some of the most popular exhibits include: Carrie Jacobs-Bond House, Stager Depot, St. Mary’s Church, Toti’s Tavern, Pioneer School House, Giovanelli Studio and Gallery, Lee LeBlanc Memorial Art Gallery.
Houghton County
The Copper Country Humane Society (CCHS) is a non-profit (501c3) organization that is dedicated to the welfare and humane treatment of animals. CCHS provides the following services for Keweenaw, Baraga and Houghton Counties plus the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). 100% of the money needed for vet care, spay/neuter and medical needs for the 900 animals CCHS cares for annually is raised through monthly fundraising events and private donations. We thank you for all the support.
The Copper Country Humane Society (CCHS) is a non-profit (501c3) organization that is dedicated to the welfare and humane treatment of animals. CCHS provides the following services for Keweenaw, Baraga and Houghton Counties plus the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). 100% of the money needed for vet care, spay/neuter and medical needs for the 900 animals CCHS cares for annually is raised through monthly fundraising events and private donations. We thank you for all the support.
The mission of the Copper Harbor Trails Club (CHTC) is to advocate for, develop, and maintain trails and land for human-powered activities in and connecting to Copper Harbor. Put more simply, we build and maintain incredible trails near Michigan’s northernmost town. Our trails are open year-round, come rain or sun or feet of snow. We welcome trail users of all ages, ability, race, color, orientation, gender, religion, profession, or however else you identify yourself. On the trail, we’re all equal in our love for being outdoors in the Keweenaw’s magnificent woods and rocky shorelines. The Copper Harbor trails are free to use and open to the public.
Chippewa County
Room at the Inn was founded in 2007 by a small number of churches organized by Helen McCormick. It was Helen who saw the need for emergency shelter in our community and dedicated herself to ensuring that Room at the Inn establish itself as an private non-profit organization that provides food, shelter, and assistance to those individuals transitioning out of homelessness. For 14 years Room at the Inn operated as a rotating shelter between local churches until 2020, where we established Marquette’s first ever permanent emergency homeless shelter.
In February of 2019 Room at the Inn started an initiative to provide a permanent shelter in Downtown Marquette, that would replace our rotating shelter model through local churches. After raising the funds necessary, gaining community support, and obtaining the necessary permits to complete the project, Room at the Inn successfully opened the doors to our new shelter on December 24th 2020.
We remodeled the three-bedroom apartment above our Warming Center into a 30-bed Emergency Shelter, which now provides 24/7 shelter access. Today we are proud to say we provide all of our services under one roof, and continue to address the issue of homelessness within our community with vigor, enthusiasm, and hope!
Hospice is dedicated to providing community support to individuals and families touched by life threatening illness, grief and loss.
Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy.
Alger County
We are a non-profit farm created to provide sustainable food security through community empowerment. Our mission is to produce locally grown nutritious food with our community, for our community.
We are a no kill Animal Shelter. Our mission is to improve the quality of life and welfare for domestic animals and to provide a safe haven while finding life long homes for the animals in our care. We embrace the No Kill Philosophy, seeking to end the euthanasia of animals.
The Women’s Center believes that every individual is entitled to dignity and respect, and that women and men should be treated equally under the law and by society in general. No individual should be discriminated against or limited by society based on age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, career choice, sexual orientation, or other circumstances of legitimate life choices.
The Women’s Center advocates for change in the larger society to eliminate bias and to enhance the ability of all individuals to be fully functioning members of society. The Women’s Center provides services in a non-judgmental and supportive manner to individuals as they make decisions for their lives.
Thank you to all of the non-profit organizations that participated in our Kindling Community campaign! Your work is contributing to a collective spirit of philanthropy and community throughout the Upper Peninsula.
This form closed on February 25, 2024.
*For any questions or concerns, please email lrotundo@thefirestation.com
**If you’re trying to vote for a second time and the form isn’t regenerating, simply open a new tab and go to thefirestation.com/kindling-community
The Fire Station works diligently throughout the year to support causes, events, and organizations that operate within communities it serves across the Upper Peninsula. As a local organization, TFS understands the strong community values that resonate throughout the U.P.
