After months of planning, working and waiting, Oxford-Orion FISH was finally able to open the doors to its new pantry Monday and begin providing free food to people who need it.

Located at 1060 S. Lapeer Rd., just south of Drahner Rd., the 5,000-square-foot facility is roomy, bright, easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye.

“Everything is new and custom-made for us. It’s perfect,” said FISH Vice President Julie Howald. “Everything’s clean and fancy. It’s lovely.”

“It’s absolutely breathtaking. What a gift to the community. I’m overwhelmed,” said Michelle Behm, who serves on FISH’s board of directors. “I would like to grocery shop here. Meijer doesn’t look this nice. This is like a high-end grocery store. This is not your average grocery store at all.”

The building, which formerly housed Tool Sport & Sign Co., is owned by Addison Township resident Dan Davis.

In January, FISH signed a lease agreement with Davis, who purchased the building to house the nonprofit’’s pantry and offices.

Davis, who owns and operates Royal Roofing in Orion Township, agreed to donate the money to FISH to completely cover the cost of the lease, which includes utilities, maintenance and property taxes.

Davis also paid for improvements to the building’s interior and exterior that transformed it into a functional and attractive space that will meet FISH’s current and future needs.

“We didn’t know what to expect. Dan really outdid himself, for sure,” Howald said. “He wanted to make it look like a little country store and he did.”

FISH’s leadership believes being located on a busy state highway like M-24, near the Oxford-Orion border, will help increase the organization’s visibility, leading to more donors and more clients.

“Everyone will see and hear about us,” Howald said. “I’m sure our clientele will increase.”

“There’s a lot of people that really need us that don’t know about us,” Behm said.

Behm noted even before the new pantry opened, news of it spawned an outpouring of donations.

“The phone is ringing off the hook,” she said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the new pantry is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

For more information about FISH, please call (248) 628-3933.