Mid-Michigan Industries lends helping hand to community, campus

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You’ve probably seen them working to keep campus clean, but the crews of Mid-Michigan Industries fulfill many more roles across the local community.

MMI partners with more than 80 businesses in Clare, Isabella and Gratiot counties. The organization works in 10 mid-Michigan counties total, said MMI Director of Community Employment Sheri Alexander.

“People who come here really want to work,” Alexander said.

The nonprofit’s main mission is to provide jobs and training to people with disabilities. It provides transitional employment at two in-house manufacturing plants, located at its main office in Mount Pleasant and in Clare.

Work offered at the manufacturing plants vary but include assembly, packaging and bulk mailing.

Employees deal with hundreds to thousands of mail items for companies daily, said MMI President Alan Schilling.

“On any given day, there can be as many as 120 workers out in the community,” Schilling said.

Crews work at hotels, gas stations and office buildings. Others routinely work with the city picking up litter, recycling and shredding.

Brad Bacome of Mount Pleasant has been a job coach at MMI for 20 years.

He heads the curbside recycling operation with his crew Monday through Friday. Tuesdays and Thursdays they partner with the City of Mount Pleasant’s own operation.

The route is too big for the city, Bacome said. In a month they gather about 18 tons of product.

Bacome has worked with some of the people on his crew for 16 years.

He said the most rewarding part of his job is seeing the crew’s feeling of accomplishment.

“A lot of these people used to sit around and do nothing,” he said. “But now they are out working and getting checks they are very proud of.”

The crew is very gratified when they finish work early, Bacome said.

MMI also offers Community Connections, which provide various programs that take people into the community to learn skills like shopping, using the library, arts and crafts and other activities, Schilling said.

“For 37 years, we’ve been providing services and in time they have evolved quite a bit,” he said.