Michigan Cannabis retailer partners with Michigan shelters raising awareness, collecting donations

Eight million Americans are one paycheck away from becoming homeless. Michigan shelters and warming centers continue to experience high occupancy as colder temperatures impact the state. New Standard, a cannabis retailer with eight locations across the state, is partnering with four shelters throughout March to help provide un-housed community members with much-needed warming essentials. In addition, New Standard is donating $1 from sales of its Beaverton Farms pre-rolls from February 21 through March 31 to benefit each shelter.

Partnering shelters include Lighthouse of Oakland County, Washtenaw Shelter Association, Muskegon Rescue Mission, and Christian Neighbors of Douglas. Each location will have a dedicated donation area inviting the community to drop off new hats, gloves, sweatpants, or socks to help those in need within reach of the communities New Standard serves. For every donation made, shoppers will receive a 10% discount on their purchase that day.

“We are pleased to partner with New Standard to raise awareness about the many faces of homelessness and the many challenges we must tackle together as a community,” said Sarah Paspal-Jasinksi, director of development, Shelter Association of Washtenaw County. “Thank you for partnering with us to end homelessness, one person at a time.”

New Standard staff and leadership will all contribute donations throughout the month, collecting these essential winter items.

“It is important to us to provide creative ways for our customers and our communities to give back. Each of these shelters serves a community in the neighborhoods we serve. We are honored to be able to partner with them to not only give back but also raise awareness of the important work that shelters and emergency food service agencies do,” said Howard Luckoff, co-founder and CEO, New Standard. “We hope to see many people stopping in to drop off donations at our locations. We will also have information about each of the local shelters on hand and hope that you’ll learn about more ways to give back.”

New Standard’s Shelter Give-Back will run thought-out the month of March. Please drop off donations at any of its eight locations during regular business hours. In addition, $1 from every Beaverton Farms pre-roll purchased will benefit that location’s local shelter.

New Standard opened its first cannabis provisioning center in April 2020 with a mission to set a New Standard for the cannabis industry featuring quality products, customer experience, and a community focus at each of its locations. Expanding across Michigan with current locations in Ann Arbor, Grand Haven, Hazel Park, Edmore, Muskegon, Nunica, Sand Lake, and Saugatuck, New Standard is a welcoming space where product specialists educate and guide consumers on the variety of cannabis flowers, pre-rolls, edibles, cartridges, concentrates, accessories and more.

About Lighthouse
Lighthouse was formed in 2019 when South Oakland Shelter and Lighthouse of Oakland County merged to provide a stronger response to poverty in our community. Lighthouse provides direct services (food, shelter, rental/utility and other financial assistance, clothing, crisis referrals) and stability and housing programs that develop and support self-sufficiency. Their vision is to solve the problems of poverty and homelessness by building affordable housing in local communities and by providing people with the resources, relationships, and skills they need to better themselves. For more information, visit www.lighthousemi.org.

About Christian Neighbors
Christian Neighbors’ mission is to provide local families in need with Food, Emergency Financial Assistance, and skill-building education to create self-sufficiency. Christian Neighbors has been working to meet the needs in the Otsego, Alamo, Plainwell, Cooper, and Martin areas since 1983. Having a facility located in the heart of this service area, Christian Neighbors is positioned to continue to meet the needs of this area for many years to come. For more information, visit www.christianneighbors.org.

Shelter Association of Washtenaw County
In Washtenaw County, 5000 people are experiencing homelessness. The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County (SAWC) was established in 1982 and is the primary provider of services and emergency shelter for around 1200 Washtenaw County individuals each year. The SAWC is housed at the Robert J. Delonis Center in downtown Ann Arbor. The SAWC works with a diverse range of people struggling with homelessness, including first-time homelessness, veterans, domestic violence survivors, and people battling substance abuse and/or mental health issues. For more information, visit www.annarborshelter.org.

About Muskegon Rescue Mission
Muskegon Rescue Mission (MRM) serves men, women, and children from all walks of life. Individuals and families come to us seeking help. MRM also receives referrals from the Department of Human Services, churches, community agencies, police, area businesses, and individuals. Guests primarily come from Muskegon County; however, there are no geographic restrictions. For more information, visit www.muskegonmission.org.