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Local food pantries see uptick in need, seek donations

Noah Johnson Daily Press Bay College Dean of Student Success Amy Gibbs checks the food pantry at Bay for what items need to be restocked.

ESCANABA – Local food pantries are in need of donations as demand increases.

Food pantries in the area are generally seeing an uptick in demand for service, including pantries at Bay College, Salvation Army, St. Vincent De Paul, and the Escanaba Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Each food pantry works with other organizations, suppliers, and stores to get food, donations, and other supplies, including Aldi, Walmart, Meijer, Elmers, Gordon Food Service, Feeding America, and more. Local individuals, clubs, churches, and other groups support the pantries through monetary and physical donations.

The pantry at Bay started in 2017, spearheaded by a student who observed her classmates who didn’t have enough money for food.

“They were hungry, and their hunger was impacting their ability to be successful in school,” said Bay College Dean of Student Success Amy Gibbs.

Because of the students’ observations and subsequent initiatives, Bay has a pantry for any student in need of food, hygiene, and other supplies.

Gibbs spoke about the importance of the pantry, saying a hungry body can impact how well the brain functions, which is not an ideal situation for a college student.

“If you’ve ever gone without lunch and somebody walks in with a slice of pizza like it’s really hard to focus,” Gibbs said.

The need for the pantry continues to grow at Bay, more than doubling the number of food items distributed from 6745 in 2022-2023 to 13,777 in 2023-2024.

“We continue to see the demand for food grow, I think, especially as prices have gone up in the recent years,” Gibbs said.

Now, Bay has a food pantry available to students who need food and other supplies at both the Escanaba and Iron Mountain campuses.

Bay’s pantry currently needs shelf-stable, non-perishable food items such as canned fruit, canned vegetables, pasta sauce, cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter, hygiene products and more.

The pantry in Escanaba is located in the Student Success Center building, in room 532, between the bookstore and café. The pantry in Escanaba is open Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 to 9 a.m. For more information, call 906-217-4014 or email foodpantryesc@baycollege.edu.

Those interested in donating can contact Gibbs in Escanaba at 906-217-4014 or amy.gibbs@baycollege.edu. For Iron Mountain, contact Chris Wenzel at 906-302-3006 or christine.wenzel@baycollege.edu

St. Vincent De Paul is in the same boat as Bay, as it is seeing an increase in requests for service.

“People seem to have less ability with their incomes to provide for their families,” said St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry Manager Barb VanErman.

The pantry services a lot of families, single people, and the homeless.

“The demand is greater by far than it was a year ago due to inflation, and they are getting less in their food stamps,” VanErman explained.

While it has certainly been a challenge, VanErman says all the different non-profits, retailers, food pantries and other organizations are working together to help the community.

“We’re very fortunate to serve in a great community, and it happens to be great because of the people who help our various organizations,” she said.

“We all work together.”

St. Vincent De Paul’s pantry currently needs canned goods, crackers, pasta, macaroni and cheese, rice, personal hygiene items, and more. The center is located at 115 North 8th Street and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. For more information, call the center at 906-789-1434.

The pantry at the Escanaba Seventh-day Adventist Church has been operating for roughly 20 years and is continuing to grow.

Seventh-day Adventist Community Services Director Deborah LaMarch said the church always tries to help the community, most prominently through the food pantry.

“We try to provide according to their needs,” LaMarch said.

In line with Bay and St. Vincent, Seventh-day is experiencing an increase in those who need assistance.

“I would say (it’s increased) over the past few months. I mean, it goes up another 30 to 50 families a month,” LaMarch said.

As the pantry has grown over the years, so have the services they offer.

“There’s just so much that we do,” said Seventh-day Pantry Director Robin Wyckoff.

In addition to food, the pantry distributes personal hygiene items, sleeping bags, gloves, and hats when they are in stock.

In September alone, the pantry served 600 households, including 346 children, 564 seniors, and 94 veterans, totaling 1,466 individuals served from just the one pantry.

“The amount of families and individuals increases monthly.¬†We are also seeing a rise in homeless individuals visiting us,” LaMarch said.

Seventh-day Adventist Church’s pantry needs any and every non-perishable food item, including canned goods, cereal, dry goods, pasta, rice, toiletries, personal hygiene items, and more. The pantry is located at 210 South Lincoln Road and is open Mondays and Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, the pantry can be contacted through its Facebook page or by calling the church office at 906-786-0887 or eskysda@gmail.com.

Like its counterparts, the pantry at the Salvation Army is looking to the community to help with donations.

“It seems like there are new clients coming in every single month, and especially now that it’s getting a little colder outside, that need is definitely increasing,” said Salvation Army Case Manager Jamie Ray.

She said the pantry currently serves about 200 families per month, including families, single individuals, and senior citizens.

“We’re definitely seeing a broad range of who’s coming in and utilizing that service,” Ray explained.

Salvation Army’s pantry needs any and every non-perishable food item, including canned goods, cereal, dry goods, pasta, rice, and more. The pantry is located at 3001 5th Avenue South in Escanaba. It is open Monday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on the same days. Donations can be dropped at the service center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It is important to check expiration dates before donating, as some of the pantries cannot accept expired products even if they are still good to use.

Each pantry welcomes food, personal hygiene and monetary donations. However, individuals looking to donate should contact the respective pantry to coordinate large donations or donations that need to be kept refrigerated or frozen.

Many pantries are now equipped with refrigerators and freezers to take donations such as eggs, vegetables, milk, and more.

Representatives from each pantry said they recognize the importance of the community. They expressed gratitude for the public’s continuing support as they address hunger, safety, and sustainability in the community.

As VanErman said, “People in need should know that they can be cared for.”

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