Dowagiac community buys groceries for disabled man claiming food benefits are being withheld

DOWAGIAC, Mich. --- The Dowagiac community is rallying behind a disabled man who claims the State of Michigan is withholding necessary food benefits.

Anthony Davis, 26, said he has been receiving state and federal aid for 26 years. However, according to Davis, last October the State of Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services sent him a letter notifying him they were denying his request for $171 worth of MiCap food benefits. 

Davis said the department was denying him because he’d received an extra $20 inside his $771 social security stipend. He said the increase was an error, but could not confirm if the department or Social Security made the error. 

“All it really truly was, was a data entry error,” Davis said. “You know they don’t want to take responsibility for that.”

Since October, Davis said he has called the DHHS office in Cassopolis ‘more than a half a dozen’ times. ABC 57 News called the office on Monday and left a voicemail about Davis’ case. 

“It’s sad because I don’t ask for the things that I truly don’t deserve,” he said. 

Davis has cerebral palsy and is known around the community as someone who loves Dowagiac Chieftains football. Once Davis shared his side of the story, some people in the community said they wanted to help out. 

“I was like let’s go ahead and do it,” said one woman. “I was going grocery shopping anyways so why not buy for somebody else.”

A woman who asked to remain anonymous, because she said she doesn’t want to be honored for her actions, spent more than $150 on groceries for Davis. His friends said he has enough food for almost a month, but said if Davis is without MiCap benefits, they’ll ask the community to help out again.

“This community has on numerous occasions came to my aid and it’s amazing,” said Davis.