From a church basement to prime real estate on M-24, Oxford-Orion FISH certainly has come a long way in 45 years of serving others.

Last week, the local nonprofit held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for its new 5,000-square-foot pantry  at 1060 S. Lapeer Rd., just south of Drahner Rd., in Oxford Township.

“This new building means that we can do more for our clients,” said FISH President Laurene Baldwin as she addressed the crowd. “We’re just so thrilled.”

Baldwin thanked everyone who played a role in making this big move a reality, particularly the building’s owner, Addison Township resident Dan Davis.

“I call Dan our angel sent from Heaven,” she said.

In January, FISH signed a lease agreement with Davis, who purchased the former home of Tool Sport & Sign Co. to house the nonprofit’s pantry and offices.

Davis funded and personally oversaw all of the improvements made to the building’s interior and exterior. He transformed it into a functional, attractive and pleasant space for FISH clients to gather their groceries.

He’s extremely pleased with how well everything turned out.

“It was actually a fun project to do,” Davis said. “I had a vision and a little bit of a plan. I went from there.”

Inside, the pantry resembles a quaint country store. The dark wood adorning the walls helps give the space a cozy, welcoming feel. The aisles are spacious, the floor is immaculate and the shelves are well-stocked and meticulously organized.

“This is Heaven,” said former longtime FISH volunteer Nadine Lychuk, who returned for the celebration.

“It’s fantastic. It’s a great improvement,” said her husband John Lychuk, who also devoted many years to FISH.

“I’m sure those who have gone before us are smiling and are very, very proud,” said Baldwin, referring to all the valued FISH volunteers who didn’t live to see this day, including John Cass, John Jarvis, and Ted and Mary Boberg.

In addition to buying and improving the building, Davis also agreed to completely cover the cost of the lease, which includes utilities, maintenance and property taxes. Bottom-line, this new pantry didn’t cost FISH a dime.

“It just blows my mind that one man could do so much for us,” Nadine said.

John called Davis a “miracle worker” for providing “all this” to FISH “at no cost.”

Hard to believe, but when FISH first started providing free food to local individuals and families in 1973, it did so from the basement of Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ at the corner of Dennison and Hovey streets in Oxford Village.

In 2005, FISH finally got a place of its own when Thomas United Methodist Church donated its former community hall for the token sum of $1.

That 1,800-square-foot building, located on a dirt street in Thomas near the Oakland/Lapeer county line, served as FISH’s home until the new pantry opened for business on Oct. 15.

Longtime FISH volunteer Bob Butler, 95, observed the group has “upgraded every time we’ve moved.”

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

Nadine believes the new pantry’s convenient and more-centralized location will increase the number of FISH clients.

“I guarantee we’ll have more customers because a lot of people couldn’t get out to Thomas,” she said. “That was a long way. It really was.”

Looking to the future, Baldwin asked God to grant FISH “wisdom, strength, kindness and love as we continue to serve our neighbors.”

FISH provides free food to families, individuals and senior citizens who are living on low or fixed incomes or who have fallen on hard times due to job loss, illness and other personal crises. The group serves the residents of Oxford, Orion and Addison townships and their respective villages along with a small portion of Oakland Township.

In 2017, FISH distributed 181,890 pounds of food to an average of 164 households, or 369 individuals, per month.

To learn more about FISH, please visit oxfordorionfish.org or call (248) 628-3933.