Food banks seeing dire need to help the hungry

Bonnie Greene (l) president of the Tecumseh Fresh Food Initiative, and Linda Roslin, vice president, with an example of food items given to those who utlitize the twice-monthly food pantry pickups.

By JACKIE KOCH

jackie@tecumsehherald.com

Area food banks are seeing the strain that higher costs at the grocery store as well as job losses and other troubles have had on residents who are just trying to feed themselves and their families. “All of the food banks have been tripled as far as the number of people coming, and our budgets have not tripled,” said Linda Roslin, vice president of the Tecumseh Fresh Food Initiative. “I have faith in this community that people would give if they knew what direction to give.”

The Fresh Food Initiative, which purchases food at a deep discount from the South Michigan Food Bank (SMFB), started out as a coalition of churches and local service clubs. They first distributed pre-packaged boxes of food on periodic Saturdays at the Tecumseh First Methodist Church on Bishop Reed Drive. When the SMFB could no longer afford to pay a driver on weekends, the Fresh Food Initiative dropped that program because they couldn’t get enough volunteers to pack boxes on a weekday during the SMFB’s regular routes. Instead, they opened a food pantry that serves local individuals and families in need the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. (The initiative will not have their food pantry open the second Wednesday of November because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday.)

Roslin leads the Fresh Food Initiative along with Bonnie Greene, the president, and a group of others who help plan and organize each food pantry event.   

“Our clientele started out at 36, and earlier this year went to 48. It’s now up well into 70 families every two weeks,” Roslin said. “We were awarded grants from Lenawee Cares, the Knight Foundation, 100 Women of Lenawee, and Katherine Whelan of Farm Bureau over the years, but the grants can’t match that tripling of population. We’re being really taxed at this time, and we don’t want to turn away people. It’s difficult.”

She said the increase in needs for area residents took place even before the recent government shutdown and as of Nov. 1, the subsequent pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which assist 1.4 million Michiganders and about 41.7 million people in the United States. With uncertainty whether or when the Trump administration will adhere to the rulings of federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, who stated that the government is required to use a contingency fund set aside to provide for SNAP payments in the event of a shutdown, local food programs are likely to see more clients looking for grocery assistance. 

On Oct. 30, the state of Michigan announced it would provide $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan to feed families affected by the government’s decision to pause SNAP benefits, but that won’t solve the hunger problem in Lenawee County. 

Roslin listed locations where churches and other groups work to help those in need: the Tecumseh Church of the Nazarene will have food boxes on Tuesday, Nov. 11; the Fresh Food Initiative will distribute food on Nov. 12; the Seventh-Day Adventist Church will have a distribution on Nov. 21; the Tipton Community Congregational Church has a food pantry by appointment; City of Refuge Ministries has distribution dates twice monthly, ordered on an app. In addition, New Song Community Church has a food pantry. “I talked to DeAngelo (Boone, City of Refuge’s director) the other day and they’re giving out to 300 people a month, also,” she said. City of Refuge also assists people in Adrian. 

The Fresh Food Initiative has freezers and has had individuals purchase large amounts of ground beef to divide up and give out to clients. 

“We give out three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners at each distribution,” she said. “We have an army of volunteers that pack that.”

They also partner with area farmers, including Iott’s Tomato Ranch, The Kane Roost on Macon Highway, which donates apples, and Kapnick Orchards, which has donated squash and potatoes in the past. Hunters Helping Lenawee, a program of Lenawee Community Foundation, has hunters donating venison each year, as well. But the budget is still tight. 

“When you’re giving out $2,000 worth of food twice a month, it’s gone. If we don’t get some serious donations, we’re looking at shutting the door probably four or five months down the road,” said Roslin.

This weekend on Saturday, Nov. 8, the Scouts of Tecumseh will collect food for local families through the Scouting for Food program, and one of the collection sites will be Tecumseh United Methodist at 605 Bishop Reed Dr. from 9 a.m.-noon. Roslin said anyone who wants to donate to the Tecumseh Fresh Food Initiative on Saturday may come to the pavilion behind the church during that time. They will be accepting nonperishable foods as well as cash or check donations, which will allow them to purchase more food from the SMFB. The other collection location for food items will be Jerry’s Market, 109 Herrick Park Dr., from 9-11 a.m.

But any way someone can help will make a difference, Roslin said. “The best way is cash or a check. A check works wonderful because we can get more bang for the buck from the food bank,” she said. “However, giving nonperishable foods is wonderful.”