Fundraiser benefits Shelby Township Library, D.A.R.E. at Miguel’s Cantina

Throughout February, the Shelby Township Library and the D.A.R.E. program provided by Shelby Township police to local schools will be the beneficiaries of one local business’s gratitude toward the community.

To celebrate its first six months in the Shelby Township community, Miguel’s Cantina, located at 13635 23 Mile Road near Schoenherr Road, is hosting Community Appreciation Month throughout February. The event formally kicks off Thursday Feb. 6 with Family Appreciation Night that features half-off discounts for children meals.

“This is an amazing gesture from a business that understands that a strong community needs support from every angle,” Township Supervisor Rick Stathakis said. “I am extremely grateful, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and our residents, that the owners at Miguel’s Cantina want to support our families, and I can think of no better recipients of that support than the Library and our D.A.R.E. program.”

Throughout the month, Miguel’s Cantina will donate a portion of all sales to the community through donations to the Shelby Township Public Library and the Shelby Township Police Department’s D.A.R.E. program, giving residents a chance to support these community programs simply by eating at Miguel’s Cantina any time during the month of February.

“We are extremely grateful for the support Shelby Township has shown for our new business, and we wanted to express that gratitude and help out some key programs that support local children and families,” owner Michael Versaci said.

“The backbone of Shelby Township is its families that work hard to ensure their kids have a strong and safe community to group up in. Both the library and D.A.R.E. program play a key part in making that happen. And now we hope the community will help us support those programs by joining us for a meal at Miguel’s.”

Miguel’s Cantina formally opened its Shelby Township doors in May and in that time has seen the strong support the community has for its local small businesses.

“This is a great place for small businesses because there is a tremendous amount of pride and loyalty within the community,” Versaci said. “Through six months, we’ve experienced this first hand and have been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received, so it was only natural for us to return that support in kind.”

Stathakis said that the donations will be a saving grace for the D.A.R.E. program, which is led by Officer Leslie Hodges with programing in all Township public elementary school and is fully funded through Police Department’s forfeiture funds.

“Right now we have almost $80,000 annually from our forfeitures that fund personnel alone in the D.A.R.E. program, and that doesn’t cover supplies and other parts of this pivotal portion of our community policing efforts,” Stathakis said. “This donation will help us fund and further our D.A.R.E. operations as well as use those forfeiture funds to serve our residents in other ways.”

“We are fortunate to be part of a community that cares so deeply about its children,” Utica Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns said.

“We greatly appreciate the continued investment that businesses such as Miguel’s Cantina make in our future leaders. We are also proud of the collaborative relationship we have with Shelby Township officials and all of our communities that creates even more opportunities for our students.”

For more information contact Miguel’s Cantina at (586) 247-4400 or visit them online at www.eatatmiguels.com