Submitted Photo Grace Lutheran Church, 601 Eagle St., Dunkirk, is home to the north county services of the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County. The public is invited to an open house there Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

September is National Recovery Month, and the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County is celebrating with an open house in their north county center.

The public is welcome to visit Grace Lutheran Church, 601 Eagle St., Dunkirk, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28. There will be refreshments and swag bags for all visitors.

The MHA is a peer recovery center offering support groups and individual coaching for people looking to improve their lives, deepen wellness, thrive in recovery, or support those on a recovery path. Peers use their personal stories to help people find recovery in their own lives in their own way.

This fall marks three years that those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders have been able to seek help through the Dunkirk location. Anyone with questions or in need of services for themselves or a family member is welcome to stop in during their regular hours: Wednesdays, noon to 3 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It was announced at a recent open house at their Jamestown location that the MHA has been awarded a $500,000 INSPIRE grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for workforce development and its social enterprise program, Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits. A social enterprise program is a business with specific social objectives that serve its primary purpose. The grant will strengthen this partnership between the MHA and Jamestown’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Created to support people in recovery as they return to work, in addition to making dog treats, Father Bernard’s furthers the mission and vision of the Mental Health Association.

To learn more about the Mental Health Association, call 716-661-9044 or visit MHAChautauqua.org or facebook.com/MHAChautauqua. A schedule with descriptions of all groups and classes is at MHAchautauqua.org/groups.