Annual report: Welcome and gratitude
July 1, 2026Vera’s House
The red door on Justice Street in Newaygo is no accident. In the Episcopal tradition, a red door is a sign of welcome. Behind this door, next to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, anyone in need can find soup and a loaf of bread. It’s part of the mission of Vera’s House, a ministry of St. Mark’s.
“Our vision is for Vera’s House to be a place of healing and wholeness for the community,” said Mother BJ Heyboer, rector of St. Mark’s. “Our programs have been described as lifelines for people.”
Vera’s House is home to the Women in Transition support group and connects people to counseling through Project Illuminate. They also offer food through their Justice Street Pantry programs. In addition to the soup and bread, dedicated volunteers run Groceries to Go. On Friday afternoons, people can pick up a bag of meal ingredients and a recipe card. Each program has received grant support from the Community Foundation.
“There’s no one person who makes all this happen,” said Mother BJ. “It takes the efforts of many: the people who volunteer and the program participants. Each one is important. We tell everyone who comes that we’re grateful to be in community with them. We want this to be a place of gratitude for each other.”
