Our Coats for Kids Program is dedicated to ensuring that every child in our community stays warm during the cold months. We provide free, high-quality winter coats to families in need. To participate, families can visit our local office every fall season to apply. Join us in spreading warmth and care to those who need it most.

Since 2023, our office has made a goal of providing school uniforms for children within our Township.

Families shouldn’t have to struggle with the barrier of purchasing school uniforms to allow their kids to live and learn with dignity. 

We know that life never stops, even when we might want it to slow down for a second. While applying for assistance, the last thing anyone should have to worry about is keeping a baby happy and healthy. That’s why our office is offering a new benefit program for families in need.

With our Baby Essentials Program, eligible applicants with 1 or more dependent children under the age of 2 may qualify for additional assistance for qualifying baby-related expenses! Every case is different, which is why we urge anyone who might be thinking about applying for assistance to give us a visit.

Stop by our office at 340 Columbia Street in downtown South Bend to see how we can help you and your little ones today. 

In December 2025, our office partnered with the Lead Investigation Team at the University of Notre Dame to provide free lead screening kits at our township office.

Many homes within Portage Township, especially those built before 1978, contain lead paint. It is invisible, and hides in paint, dust, water, and soil.

It can even harm your child’s brain, causing learning delays and ADHD.

Simply stop by our intake center at 340 Columbia Street in downtown South Bend to get a free lead screening kit to test your apartment or home, return your kit to our office, and receive your results confidentially from LIT members at Notre Dame! 

In January 2026, our office partnered with REAL Services to collaborate on a free communal dinner available to all residents to help combat isolation that so many feel these days.

The dinner happens once a month at our senior center, the Portage Commons, in downtown South Bend, located at 133 N. William Street. Residents can sit down with local leaders and officials and have genuine conversation where they can be heard, all while eating a tasty meal. 

For more information, simply click here.

In November 2025, our office coordinated with several major food providers in Portage Township to identify gaps in our food safety net as the federal shutdown threatened to affect SNAP benefits for thousands of Hoosiers. 

As the holidays loomed in December, we set out to provide a free meal kit to residents to take some of the burden off seasonal expenditures. In total, we distributed over 150 meals to families, complete with a holiday ham, all the sides, dessert, and even small toys for kids. 

We look forward to building upon this tradition in the years to come!

In late 2024, Portage Township made a historic partnership with REAL Services to provide an engaging, dynamic senior activity center in downtown South Bend. Our office observed a critical need for a center that can provide an array of social services to the senior population of St. Joseph County. We were also in the unique position to provide such a space as we had recently moved out of our previous facility on N. William Street. 

We view the new center as a centralized hub where seniors can access technology-based workshops, meal programs, enrichment classes, and so much more! Get in contact with the center by calling: 574-284-7159.

In the summer of 2024, our office sat down with Charisse Lee, the owner of Kingdom Closet, after their store tragically caught fire. The fire’s destruction claimed a great deal of the clothing, which Kingdom Closet provides to residents for as little as $1. 

Trustee Jason Critchlow and staff organized a clothing drive in July with an aim to donate all of the clothing back to Kingdom Closet, so that the establishment could continue helping residents live a dignified life with quality garments.