Family Resources in Michigan

Statewide network of food banks. Use their locator to find your nearest pantry, mobile distribution, or emergency food box program anywhere in Michigan.

Metro Detroit food rescue organization. Its summer program delivers roughly 100,000 free lunches to about 20,000 children across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties while school is out.

Serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Monroe counties. Find a pantry, mobile distribution, or fresh produce market near you.

Michigan's single online portal for SNAP, WIC, cash assistance, child care, and other MDHHS benefits — apply, upload documents, and manage your case in one place.

Michigan's SNAP program, apply online through MI Bridges or at your local MDHHS office. Benefits load onto a Bridge Card accepted at grocery stores statewide.

Free healthy food, nutrition counseling, and breastfeeding support for pregnant women and children under 5. Apply through MI Bridges or your local WIC clinic.

Free meals for children 18 and under at sites across Michigan during summer months. No registration required. Find a site at the USDA site locator.

Homeschool association serving families across Wayne and Oakland counties with community events and support.

Serves families across the Detroit Metro area, including Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, with a faith-based focus.

Michigan's statewide Christian homeschool network, active since 1984 (formerly INCH). Divides the state into 9 regions with local ambassadors and hosts an annual conference in Lansing.

Official state portal covering the nonpublic-school reporting path (annual report due December 1), an alternative to the notification-free homeschool statute.

Michigan's homeschool statute requires no notification to the state or local district. Must cover 9 subjects: reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar. No testing or homeschool naming requirement.

Cooperative classes for K-12 students across fall and spring semesters — 12 co-op days per semester, topics ranging from art to PE to science.

The B.E.S.T. Afterschool Program offers behavioral health support, STEAM programs like coding and robotics, sports leagues, and paid teen internships. Serves about 15,000 youth ages 6-18 across Clubs and school-based sites.

Storytime, STEAM Club (ages 6–12), and K-5 tutoring through a partnership with GOAL Line, at 23 branch locations across Detroit.

Nature education, outdoor adventures, and youth programming across Oakland County parks.

Afterschool care for kindergartners through middle schoolers at 40+ sites across Southeast Michigan — homework help, arts and crafts, and outdoor play.

A Michigan state park on an island in the Detroit River — beaches, a nature center, conservatory, and free outdoor space for families right in the city. Requires the Recreation Passport for vehicle entry.

Free general admission on the first Friday of every month (courtesy of the MASCO Corporation; group visits excluded). A well-regarded science and nature resource in Bloomfield Hills.

General admission is always free for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, funded by a tri-county millage. Also offers free school field trips with transportation included.

Michigan State Parks offer free admission days (including the day after Thanksgiving and a "Three Free" weekend in June). Michigan residents get the Recreation Passport for $14 through Secretary of State license-plate renewal, or free one-time entry with a library card via the Michigan Activity Pass.

Home educators get a 25% membership discount, plus a discounted group field trip rate for groups of 10+ across the Museum, Greenfield Village, and Ford Rouge Factory Tour.

Subsidized childcare for working or in-school parents. Families receiving FIP, in foster care, or homeless/migrant have a $0 family contribution.

Temporary cash assistance for low-income families with children, for basic needs like housing, utilities, and clothing. Apply through MI Bridges.

Help with home heating, electric, and utility bills for households facing an emergency that threatens health or safety, incorporating LIHEAP crisis funds. Apply through your local MDHHS office.

Low-cost health insurance for children under 19 in low- and moderate-income families — $10/month covers all children in an eligible household. Covers checkups, dental, vision, and mental health services.