By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

A national cable network is shining a light on a local charity to help bring in fundraising dollars that will support their cause.

Every year, the Home Shopping Network selects 30 charities for their HSN Cares campaign, featuring each one for a full day in April. On Thursday, their focus will be on The Torch. The Torch is a Fowlerville-based non-profit founded by Sarah Ruddle and Rhonda Callahan that works to get food to people who need it while serving them with dignity and respect. For being selected, The Torch will receive a $1,000 donation and be featured on-air, Thursday, at 7am, noon, 6pm and 11pm. Additionally, HSN will match donations through their Community Giving page for up to $1,000 individually, to a total of $5,000. In a joint statement, the founders said they are humbly grateful for the donation and will use it to continue providing free groceries to people in need across mid-Michigan.

Michigan isn’t the only state anymore in which Ruddle and Callahan are helping people, either. Ruddle says after their appearance on HSN, they will be heading out to see their newest venture, Torch California. Ruddle said they will be out there for a week starting on the 17th, getting their boots on the ground, seeing how the operation is working, and training volunteers. Ruddle and Callahan have partnered with former Detroit Lion Lawrence Jackson to bring the Torch’s efforts to the Los Angeles area. All fundraising efforts will stay respective of the state they are conducted in, unless a donor specifies otherwise.

Locally, The Torch continues to run its operation of offering groceries from the Fowlerville base on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When the weather breaks and pandemic rules allow, Ruddle and Callahan hope to get the food truck back out on the streets and into neighborhoods. For more information on all they do, visit www.mobiletorch.org.