The Heartland Center, located in beautiful Cedar Lake, Michigan, is focused on providing helpful services to the surrounding community. Free, freshly washed clothing is provided to those in need on Thursday afternoons from 2-6 p.m. The Heartland Center Store, which offers incredible prices on thousands of books as well as used clothing, is open Monday through Thursday from noon-4 p.m. The Cedar Reader portion of the store offers nearly-free faxes and copies, plus a WI-FI computer lab available to the public during store hours.

Acts of Kindness, also headquartered in Heartland Center, coordinates service projects for single parents as well as the elderly. An annual winter coat drive, a school backpack drive, and the Montcalm Baby Pantry drive are just some of the projects already undertaken.

Healthy weight loss classes, stop smoking classes, basic computer classes, and financial planning seminars are just a few of the other areas where classes will be offered. To facilitate educational classes and other events, the Heartland Center offers a beautiful kitchen-equipped meeting room.

The mission statement of the Heartland Center is “to accept and serve others as Christ would.” A supporter of the center donated a Giclee painting of a Confederate soldier offering water to a wounded Union man. That spirit of unselfish sacrifice is what the building is all about. The painting is by well-known Nathan Green, a graduate of Cedar Lake Academy who still has close ties to this area.

The Heartland Exchange, a Time Bank initiative, will also be facilitated through the Cedar Reader and with the help of Margaret Durga, AmeriCorpsVISTA at United Way Montcalm-Ionia Counties.  A Time Bank is a unique way for people to help other people. It is the free exchange of basic services that can help strengthen communities and meet the needs of individuals and families during tough economic times.