Oxford/Orion FISH serving area families

By Don Rush

There is a growing need in the area and the Oxford/Orion FISH Food Pantry is looking to meet that need.

“There is definitely an increase in food insecurity. We have 15 to 20 new families joining the pantry on a monthly basis,” said FISH President Michelle Behm. “The increase in needs is due to the economy and the increasing cost of living. Food prices and lack of affordable housing are forcing families to move in with family or friends which is also why we are also seeing such large families at the pantry.”

On average, she said, the pantry helps 520 individuals from 220 families a month. “We currently have 380 active families.”

Behm said they donate over 20,000 pounds a month to those families.

Oxford/Orion FISH provides emergency aid in the form of food and agency referrals to individuals in Oxford, Addison, Orion and Oakland townships. According to their website, FISH works closely with other family-aid agencies to assist those in need. “We are unique in that we are financially supported primarily by private contributions from residents, businesses, area churches and schools. Although Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest give us surplus food, most of our food is collected through local food drives conducted by groups such as the postal workers, Orion Neighborhood Television (ONTV), Meijer Simply Give program, schools, businesses, churches, boy and girl scouts, and local civic and religious organizations.”

This past May, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ “Stamp Out Hunger” annual food drive resulted in 11,000 pounds of food donated to FISH. For the food drive area residents from Oxford and Orion were asked to fill a bag with non-perishables and place it by their mailbox for pick-up by their postal carrier. The food is delivered to the post offices for FISH volunteers to pick up and bring to the pantry for sorting.

“People can help through the Meijer Simply Give Program,” Behm said. “Also, our drop box in the back parking lot is available for donations 24/7 and we can also take monetary donations mailed, dropped off or PayPal.”

A board of directors overseas FISH, the programs and services they offer. They make decisions on how to respond to needs, provide guidance and training to volunteers and support programs to ensure the pantry shelves contain the quality goods.

The FISH Food Pantry is located at 1060 S. Lapeer Road in Oxford Township. Its mailing address is PO Box 732, Lake Orion, MI 48361. The FISH office is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9 to noon. The food pantry is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 3rd Saturday of month. They ask people call to make an appointment.

Anyone seeking assistance needs only call their office at 248-628-3933 to sign up. “We need their name, address to verify they are within our boundaries and the number of dependents. Our process has been greatly simplified over the past few years in order to best serve the community,” Behm said.