Children, Diapers and Neighborhood House

I really believe in the power of connections when it comes to helping those in need – this week, more than ever.

On Tuesday, I visited the to cover the delivery of more than 1,000 items collected by students for Neighborhood House, a nonprofit organization created 20 years ago by the Farmington Area Goodfellows.

The Goodfellows collect food and gifts for families and seniors over the holidays. They launched Neighborhood House because, as coordinator Loretta Zahn put it, "People get very generous at Christmastime, but food runs out in February, too."

Now, you can get assistance from the state of Michigan to feed your family, but if you want to clean your home or diaper your baby or brush your teeth, you're pretty much on your own. So the Beechview drive focused on paper goods, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items.

As Zahn talked about how some parents have to decide whether to pay the electric bill or buy diapers for their children, I thought about the Detroit Area Diaper Bank (DADB) in Canton. I met founder Marybeth Levine through a website I publish in my spare time. She formed the nonprofit group a few years ago to collect diapers in all sizes for partner agencies; they, in turn, distribute diapers to families in need.

Making the connection between DADB and Neighborhood House was as simple as sending Levine a Facebook message. And it got me thinking about all the connections we make from day to day — and how we can use them to help others.

We all know there are holes in the great social safety net we hope will catch people in need. But I think sometimes we forget how important it is to be the threads needed to patch those holes.

I got to be a thread this week, and that felt pretty good. But consider this: More than 440 students at Beechview Elementary School, under the direction of some caring adults, wove together more than 1,000 threads to help people right here in Farmington and Farmington Hills.

How cool is that?