No one should have to eat plain pasta. Now our neighbors in need won’t have to, since Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 334 North Oakland County has ensured the tomato and spaghetti sauce shelf at Oxford/Orion FISH Food Pantry will remain fully stocked for another year.
FISH provides food for folks in need who live in Oxford, Orion, Addison or Oakland Township. Last year they provided 203,862 pounds of food to 4,961 individuals, averaging 173 households a month.
“Food just flies off our shelves. So when we get donations like this it is wonderful,” said FISH vice-president Michelle Behm.
It costs about $100 a month to keep a shelf stocked. Businesses, organizations and individuals can help by participating in the Adopt-a-Shelf program.
VFW first adopted the spaghetti sauce shelf a year ago at a time when client numbers had gone up, but donation numbers were down. “You stepped up nice enough and you really filled a void,” Behm told the post’s leaders. “This was just a huge gift to the pantry.”
Now they have renewed for another year. VFW quartermaster Chuck Haskin said he hopes this inspires others to adopt shelves.
Folks who sponsor a shelf can either donate money or bring in food. Even families participate and children help refill the shelves themselves. “That shows them how we give back and it’s just a good experience for the kids,” Behm said.
Twenty-two shelves have been adopted, but there are many more available.
FISH has had an increase in activity since moving to a more visible and central location on Lapeer Rd. in Oct. 2018. They have had more walk-ins and helped more homeless people.
Behm says clients have come in and said, “I literally have nothing,” or “I’m living in my car. I’m using the hood of my car to warm up my spaghetti.”
Because of this, they’ve changed their policy. They used to give clients a prepared set of groceries. Now they just give them a shopping cart so they can pick out what they actually need based on their unique situation. “It’s nice because it’s more empowering. We want them to feel good, we want them to feel welcome and part of this community.”
The shelf comes in ahead of the pantry’s first food drive of the year.
Orion Neighborhood Television’s 10th Annual “5 or $5” food drive is this Saturday. Folks are encouraged to bring five cans of food or $5 to the ONTV studio at the Orion Community Center on Joslyn Rd. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and enter a raffle for more than a dozen prizes.