R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press A crowd at the January meeting of Delta County 100+ Women Who Care listen to Bobbi Ryan present about the Rapid River Business Association.

ESCANABA — Delta County 100+ Women Who Care is the local chapter of a broader organization, 100 Who Care, that operates with a unique model for charity.

Members who attend the group’s quarterly meetings do so in groups. By the end of each session, $100 is donated by each team, which may be made up of between one and four people. The nonprofit receiving their collective donations changes each time and is decided at the meeting in question.

Any member of the group can suggest a charity. In the case of Delta County 100+ Women Who Care, the two organizers, Samantha Griebel and Chris Tryan, vet the nominations to make sure each cause meets two criteria: it must be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and it must operate within Delta County. From the approved suggestions, three potential ones are randomly selected for the opportunity to be the charity of the quarter.

One by one, each of the three members whose nominations were chosen share with the group a brief presentation about the charity and why they believe the group should support it.

Before the end of the hour, each member votes, and the winning cause becomes the recipient of the pooled donations from all the teams.

During Delta County 100+ Women Who Care’s January meeting, the charity that gained the most votes was the Bay College Student Food Pantry.

“I’m proud to say that we believe that no student should have to choose between their education and their next meal, but unfortunately we know food insecurity is a reality for many of our students,” said Amy Gibbs, who works in student support services at Bay, when presenting before her fellow members at the meeting. “According to recent studies, a significant percentage of college students face hunger and lack access to nutritious food. We know that that affects their health, but it also impacts their academic performance and their overall well-being.”

Gibbs explained that a lot of the students at Bay College are first-generation college students, just one example of a group that would benefit from a reduction of barriers to success in school.

The members present wrote checks that night, and other donations continued to be collected by the steering committee over the next couple weeks.

The other two suggested charities were the Rapid River Business Association, nominated and discussed by Bobbi Ryan; and Enhance Escanaba, promoted by member Sue Clifton, whose presentation focused on the refrigerated ice rink the group is trying to bring to town.

Last week, Delta County 100+ Women Who Care had nearly completed rounding up donations to present to the Bay College Food Pantry, and was expecting to deliver $7,350 in total.

That number — the money accumulated by 100+ Women Who Care — has climbed each and every quarter so far since the local chapter formed in July of 2023.

“Our first donation was $3,400, and we’ve just increased since then,” said Griebel. “And we have some people who never come to a meeting and are just happy to know who the winner is and send a check. We have people come to every single meeting and send us suggestions and stuff. So, it’s all about how much you want to participate.”

A second cause also benefits from the meetings. It is chosen before the meeting so that members can be provided with a list of specific needs and bring with them items to donate. In January, it was the Escanaba Student Success Center, which was asking for pencils, water bottles, hats and gloves, laundry detergent, and other necessities.

Part of the appeal of 100 Who Care is that each meeting is only an hour long, and they take place once every three months. There is the option for a meal beforehand, which adds another hour for those who choose.

“It is a low-time-commitment way to give back a large amount,” Griebel said. “Not everybody has the time to go and volunteer for a few hours, but this is an hour — you’re in, you’re out.”

In other areas, chapters operating under names like “100 Men Who Care” and “100+ People Who Care” utilize the same model, which has been referred to as a “giving circle” by the 100 Who Care Alliance and was conceived by Karen Dunigan of Jackson, Mich.

“People get together, they pool their money, decide where to give it and make local community impacts,” said Doctor of Philosophy Julia Cardoni in a video promoting 100 Who Care. “They’re empowering their local communities, they’re engaged in this community development and building connections in the community, and so they’re a great example of what a giving circle is.”