Each year, the Calumet-based non-profit holds a kids winter clothing drive, offering a wide variety of clothing items including coats, snow pants, boots, hats, and mittens to the community.

The clothing is distributed at the group’s “free store” located on 5th Street in Calumet, where all items are available free of charge.

“The items are donated for the most part, we have individuals that will donate lightly used coats and pants, that sort of thing,” said Copper Country Angel Mission board member Sherry Middlemis-Brown. “We have wonderful support from the community, including community businesses that oftentimes will donate brand new items.”

Middlemis-Brown said that in prior years, the group has given out more than 400 coats during a single season. This year, they are likely to surpass this number in coat distribution.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Middlemis-Brown The Angel Tree gifts show the assortment of gifts donated directly to CCAM. They select from these gifts to augment sponsors’ purchases for individual children and to fulfill the last-minute registered children’s wishes for Christmas gifts.

“We try to keep a broad assortment of sizes, which means that occasionally if someone comes in with an unusual site size, we will purchase something for them,” she continued. “There’s no cost involved. But if people are able to provide a donation, we greatly appreciate it because that’s how we can further support our programs.”

Copper Country Angel Mission was first conceived of in the 1990s as part of the Calumet Presbyterian Church. When the church closed, community members stepped in to continue its humanitarian work. Over time, the group has expanded and evolved, eventually changing its name to Copper Country Angel Mission.

Today, the non-profit corporation serves a four-county area from its Calumet location. The organization’s goal is to help overcome the effects of poverty locally, with a mission to “promote community welfare by serving those in need with compassion and dignity.”

In addition to the winter clothing drive and free store, the Angel Mission conducts several other humanitarian initiatives.

In August, the charity distributes backpacks and school supplies to area kids. It also operates a food pantry that provided more than 10,000 pounds of food in 2020. The food pantry is located next-door to the free store in Calumet, and is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Even with the challenges of COVID-19, the group has continued to serve the area.

“Before COVID, we were actually doing giveaways all around the four-county area. Since COVID, we found that it’s just safer and easier to do it here at the store,” Middlemis-Brown explained. “So, we’re keeping longer hours for the coat giveaway and we’re going to be doing it well into the winter so that people can get to us and get what they need.”

Presently, the Angel Mission is in the midst of its Angel Tree Program, which provides Christmas presents to area children.

“Families can sign their children up for Christmas presents. They can get two wants and two needs – something they might want to have and then something they might need like snow pants or boots,” explained Paul Touriniemi, a fellow member of the Angel Mission board.

“Then people can come in and sponsor these families,” he continued. “They go shopping to find what was on the sheet, the wants and needs, and then bring them back to the Angel Mission. We call the families and they come and pick up the gifts so the kids can have something for Christmas. It all remains anonymous, they don’t ever know the names of the families.”

All of the Angel Mission’s initiatives are organized and carried out by volunteers, including Middlemis-Brown and Touriniemi, who were both planning to volunteer on Friday afternoon.

Copper Country Angel Mission welcomes donations and volunteers. Individuals interested in learning more can visit the group’s Facebook page, or its website at ccangelmission.org.