November 19, 2025 • 6 mins
Dan Skoglund, Executive Director of the Muskegon Rescue Mission joins us to discuss the impact of the 2025 Turkey Drop.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This live broadcast, by the way, is originating from our
downtown studios. But a little later on from five to
six tonight, we will help bring things home from Celebration
Cinema North and those drop off locations again are easy
to find if you're in the community. Celebration Cinema North
and South here on Cottonwood in Jennison, Meltrotter Ministries. This
(00:21):
is a thrift store there. Stop downtown on Commerce at Meltrotter.
The Gateway Mission there in Holland is on River Avenue,
stop by there. And Miskegan Rescue Mission is now a
drop off location to the men's shelter there at four
hundred West Lakedin Avenue in Misskegan. Their executive director is
Dan Skogland back on the liveline with us. Dan, thanks
(00:42):
for doing this again this year.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, it's our pleasure to do and thank you for
all you do to support this.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Give us a little bit about the need in Miskegan.
When we've added these locations, we've given them the turkeys, right,
so you'll distribute those turkeys in the greater Miskeagan area.
So talk to us a little bit about the need there.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, we've been doing our Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway as we
call it, for well over a decade now, and the
numbers are staggering when you consider the size of our community.
We're expecting next Monday and tuesdays we do the giveaway
that we'll see over nine hundred families coming through for
help for their Thanksgiving meal. So the need in Muskegen
(01:26):
is great. It has been climbing over recent years and
continuing and continuing to increase.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Talk to us a little bit outside of what you
do around Thanksgiving the mission and the work that's in
front of you at Miskeg and Rescue Mission, Yeah, is
a ministry.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Our goal is to help individuals and families escape poverty,
going beyond just getting them into a home, but changing
the trajectory of their family for them and for generations
to come. And we do that through a collaborative approach
with our partners here in town. A couple of years ago,
we built and opened our Community Resource Center, kind of
a one stop shop for people whether they're staying with
(02:03):
us or just from the community that need to connect
to resources. So we have over fifty partners that are
in and out at building. Over the course of the month.
He's providing an area of expertise for somebody, be it
job search, resume writing, interviews, financial recovery classes, sector or
state is in there our register of deeds. So anything
(02:25):
that somebody needs, they're able to go to one place,
connect to a right there, and connect with many resources
to help them find that unique path for them.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And what you find, I'm sure, dan, is the people
excited about that opportunity right, whether it's job training, whether
it's education to find out more. Even childcare is one
of those, correct, it is.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
We do have a daycare here, our Bright Futures Daycare,
where we specialize with kids from families and poverty. So
we have over fifty children enrolled in that right now.
And one thing that makes us unique is the children
in our care are paid through five the Department of
Health and Human Services, and we take that as payment
and full for them so families can can continue to work,
move forward, eliminate that bill. And yet the community has
(03:06):
really gotten behind and supported this collaborative approach and looking
beyond just getting somebody into home, but doing things to
help them stabilize their living condition and for themselves and
their family for generations to come. So a little longer
to look a little longer approach to it, and the
individuals coming in they really like it because they can
come to one building, known location, easy to get to,
(03:27):
right in the heart of the city, and connect with
multiple resources. They're not having to hop all over town
from place to place to place. They come to one spot,
make the connections, get the help that they need, and
keep moving forward. And nothing builds excitement and momentum like
a little bit of momentum and seeing things change for you.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Wow, Dan, I love that you had mentioned Jakecare. How
much does it add to the success when your clients
feel like their needs are actually being seen and heard
with your team.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, it changes their whole perspective and you see it
actually as they come in and they start to see
what's available and what we're doing, and that we care
for them and that we connect them to other resources.
We had a mom leave our daycare in tears just
a few weeks ago because who's going to have to
quit her job because she couldn't find care for her children,
So her only option was to go out into the
(04:18):
system and receive assistance. And when she came to We're
able to take her kids. We take the payment in full,
connect her with other resources that she needed. She's thriving
as a job and is moving forward and is able
to keep that path going forward. We have a couple
of parents that have their children been in our care
for about two years now that used to receive DHAHS assistants,
(04:40):
were on snap benefits and a variety of other programs
to help them. They're now out of all of those programs,
have a career and have bought their own home. And
the situations changed dramatically simply because somebody is willing to
walk alongside and say as a person, you have worth
and value, You're loved, and you have a future. Let's
work together on this.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
We have such a strong signal where we are being
the old mus signal here on wood Radio one oh
six point nine FM along the lake shore, and we
always hear from a lot of people. And I want
to open up an invitation to something you guys do
once a month, because if Steve just talked about the
mel Trotter Ministry here has changed with the building and
everything that they've done and offered, and it's kind of
(05:22):
the same thing for you. Right there's a picture in
people's head, but they haven't really seen the Muskegan Rescue Michigan.
So once a month, it's the third Wednesday of every month,
you guys offer a special luncheon and where you can
go on a tour of the facility.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Right, we do third Wednesday of every month from noon
to about one point thirty we do luncheon tour. We
don't ask anybody for anything, so people don't have to
be afraid that this is a trick at bait and switch.
Come on in, we'll give you a white lunch from
Tante about the mission. We'll take you on a tour
so you can learn more, see what you want to see.
And we're also on December fourth, from two to four o'clock,
(05:56):
we're actually having an open house at our men's facility
because we're just wrapping up about a million and a
half hours worth of work here. We're doing this building
so that it reflects what we believe the worth and
values people is.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
By the way, if you go through that luncheon and
your heart is not moved, they're looking for someone to
play the grinch at the Civic Theater. That is Dan Skogland,
the Miskegan Rescue Missions Executive Director, Thank you for your
time today.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on again.
This live broadcast, by the way, is originating from our
downtown studios. But a little later on from five to
six tonight, we will help bring things home from Celebration
Cinema North and those drop off locations again are easy
to find if you're in the community. Celebration Cinema North
and South here on Cottonwood in Jennison, Meltrotter Ministries. This
(00:21):
is a thrift store there. Stop downtown on Commerce at Meltrotter.
The Gateway Mission there in Holland is on River Avenue,
stop by there. And Miskegan Rescue Mission is now a
drop off location to the men's shelter there at four
hundred West Lakedin Avenue in Misskegan. Their executive director is
Dan Skogland back on the liveline with us. Dan, thanks
(00:42):
for doing this again this year.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, it's our pleasure to do and thank you for
all you do to support this.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Give us a little bit about the need in Miskegan.
When we've added these locations, we've given them the turkeys, right,
so you'll distribute those turkeys in the greater Miskeagan area.
So talk to us a little bit about the need there.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, we've been doing our Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway as we
call it, for well over a decade now, and the
numbers are staggering when you consider the size of our community.
We're expecting next Monday and tuesdays we do the giveaway
that we'll see over nine hundred families coming through for
help for their Thanksgiving meal. So the need in Muskegen
(01:26):
is great. It has been climbing over recent years and
continuing and continuing to increase.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Talk to us a little bit outside of what you
do around Thanksgiving the mission and the work that's in
front of you at Miskeg and Rescue Mission, Yeah, is
a ministry.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Our goal is to help individuals and families escape poverty,
going beyond just getting them into a home, but changing
the trajectory of their family for them and for generations
to come. And we do that through a collaborative approach
with our partners here in town. A couple of years ago,
we built and opened our Community Resource Center, kind of
a one stop shop for people whether they're staying with
(02:03):
us or just from the community that need to connect
to resources. So we have over fifty partners that are
in and out at building. Over the course of the month.
He's providing an area of expertise for somebody, be it
job search, resume writing, interviews, financial recovery classes, sector or
state is in there our register of deeds. So anything
(02:25):
that somebody needs, they're able to go to one place,
connect to a right there, and connect with many resources
to help them find that unique path for them.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And what you find, I'm sure, dan, is the people
excited about that opportunity right, whether it's job training, whether
it's education to find out more. Even childcare is one
of those, correct, it is.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
We do have a daycare here, our Bright Futures Daycare,
where we specialize with kids from families and poverty. So
we have over fifty children enrolled in that right now.
And one thing that makes us unique is the children
in our care are paid through five the Department of
Health and Human Services, and we take that as payment
and full for them so families can can continue to work,
move forward, eliminate that bill. And yet the community has
(03:06):
really gotten behind and supported this collaborative approach and looking
beyond just getting somebody into home, but doing things to
help them stabilize their living condition and for themselves and
their family for generations to come. So a little longer
to look a little longer approach to it, and the
individuals coming in they really like it because they can
come to one building, known location, easy to get to,
(03:27):
right in the heart of the city, and connect with
multiple resources. They're not having to hop all over town
from place to place to place. They come to one spot,
make the connections, get the help that they need, and
keep moving forward. And nothing builds excitement and momentum like
a little bit of momentum and seeing things change for you.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Wow, Dan, I love that you had mentioned Jakecare. How
much does it add to the success when your clients
feel like their needs are actually being seen and heard
with your team.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, it changes their whole perspective and you see it
actually as they come in and they start to see
what's available and what we're doing, and that we care
for them and that we connect them to other resources.
We had a mom leave our daycare in tears just
a few weeks ago because who's going to have to
quit her job because she couldn't find care for her children,
So her only option was to go out into the
(04:18):
system and receive assistance. And when she came to We're
able to take her kids. We take the payment in full,
connect her with other resources that she needed. She's thriving
as a job and is moving forward and is able
to keep that path going forward. We have a couple
of parents that have their children been in our care
for about two years now that used to receive DHAHS assistants,
(04:40):
were on snap benefits and a variety of other programs
to help them. They're now out of all of those programs,
have a career and have bought their own home. And
the situations changed dramatically simply because somebody is willing to
walk alongside and say as a person, you have worth
and value, You're loved, and you have a future. Let's
work together on this.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
We have such a strong signal where we are being
the old mus signal here on wood Radio one oh
six point nine FM along the lake shore, and we
always hear from a lot of people. And I want
to open up an invitation to something you guys do
once a month, because if Steve just talked about the
mel Trotter Ministry here has changed with the building and
everything that they've done and offered, and it's kind of
(05:22):
the same thing for you. Right there's a picture in
people's head, but they haven't really seen the Muskegan Rescue Michigan.
So once a month, it's the third Wednesday of every month,
you guys offer a special luncheon and where you can
go on a tour of the facility.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Right, we do third Wednesday of every month from noon
to about one point thirty we do luncheon tour. We
don't ask anybody for anything, so people don't have to
be afraid that this is a trick at bait and switch.
Come on in, we'll give you a white lunch from
Tante about the mission. We'll take you on a tour
so you can learn more, see what you want to see.
And we're also on December fourth, from two to four o'clock,
(05:56):
we're actually having an open house at our men's facility
because we're just wrapping up about a million and a
half hours worth of work here. We're doing this building
so that it reflects what we believe the worth and
values people is.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
By the way, if you go through that luncheon and
your heart is not moved, they're looking for someone to
play the grinch at the Civic Theater. That is Dan Skogland,
the Miskegan Rescue Missions Executive Director, Thank you for your
time today.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me on again.
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