Here at Mental Health America of Porter County, the few weeks that we have before the Thanksgiving and the holidays are some of the busiest of the year. With preparing our giftLIFT program, setting up many trees within Porter County, and maintaining our Open Door Social Club activities; the holidays become very hectic. The Open Door Social Club program welcomes adults that have been diagnosed with a mental illness and are compliant with treatment. One goal of the Club is to promote positive peer to peer interaction through safe and healthy social engagements. We provide a stigma-free atmosphere for the members and plan activities where they can feel safe engaging in their community.
The second Tuesday of each month is reserved for our Meals that Heal activity. During this, staff and interns prepare a meal, from something as simple as soup & sandwiches to a dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and biscuits. In addition to the monthly Meals that Heal we celebrate the holidays with special dinners. Over the last month, local businesses were asked for assistance to help make these meals. What followed is something that we weren’t prepared for: an incredible amount of help from these businesses. Strack & Van Til in Valparaiso, Town & Country in Valparaiso, Jewel-Osco of Chesterton, and Jimmy John’s of Valparaiso all pitched in to help feed those who don’t usually get to enjoy these events and to show our members that Porter County cares about them.
We sincerely appreciate your donations and want to extent our gratitude for showing such kindness to our members during the Holiday season.