Three food pantries supply those in need in Leelanau.

ANNEKE WEGMAN helps run the Suttons Bay
food pantry, along with her children
— Ella, 13; and Nicholas, 5.

Patrons of food pantries are accustomed to getting by with less, but they never like to hear what Anneke Wegman had to say last week.

“I’m sorry, we’re all out of oil,” Wegman told a mother of two who had stopped at the Suttons Bay Congregational Church.

“We ran out.”

Wegman, who has been volunteering for the Leelanau Christian Neighbors food pantry for five years, said regular customers make a point of picking up their free allotment of staples early to assure popular items such as frozen hot dogs, flour — and oil — are still available. The Suttons Bay pantry is open from 1-3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; Christian Neighbors also distributes food at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Northport from 5-7 p.m. Mondays.

The number of visitors to the Suttons Bay center “has increased steadily since I’ve been here, but in the last year (growth) has been tremendous,” said Wegman.

That’s not the case across the county. For whatever reason — and the volunteers who staff Leelanau’s food pantries make it a point not to ask — usage at the Empire Area Food Pantry has been steady or fallen off slightly this summer.

Bill Meserve, who has served as lead organizer of the pantry for two years, doesn’t mind.

“I’m pleased that we don’t have that many coming in from one week to another,” said Meserve. “It hopefully means they don’t need it.”

Churches — through their congregations — are the driving forces for Leelanau’s food pantries, which provide a service to community inherent in Christianity without pushing religion to patrons.

It’s a wonderful place, especially for people
trying to live up here.
—A patron at the Suttons Bay food pantry
after filling out a list for food for himself
and his 2-year-old daughter

“That’s outreach,” said Meserve. “It is a community outreach, but as an example of giving.”

The Empire pantry, as are its cousins in Suttons Bay and Northport, is not elaborate. It’s held in the Glen Lake Community Reformed Church, with food stored in a large closet-like area or the church refrigerator between distributions. Meserve is a member of the church, and lives nearby. Volunteers are provided by the four member churches, with Meserve stopping by to make sure the pantry is open on time and is well stocked.

Meserve is also the chief purchaser, heading off to Meijers or Sam’s Club about every other week for a $200 purchase of an assortment of canned and frozen goods.

He also keeps track of finances, which are somewhat meager. During food drives, which are organized through member churches as needed to keep stocks up, an occasional check or cash comes in.

But Meserve isn’t complaining, as long as the organization can keep a supply of food on hand. The group may only serve two families a week during summer months — “I think people have jobs in the summer, but I’m not absolutely sure of the reason. I haven’t really talked to them about it” — and up to 30 families before the pantry’s biggest day of the year, Thanksgiving. Up to 30 turkeys and other holiday staples are provided.

“That’s a real joy, to serve that many people,” said Meserve.

Last week the group held its first “fill a truck” food drive, placing a pick-up in front of Deerings Market that shoppers filled as they left the store. It was the brainstorm of Pastor Brenda Gordon of the Empire United Methodist Church, who freely admitted the source of her inspiration.

“It was a suggestion somebody had given to me, another community had tried it,” she said. “We hope to have the truck filled by Friday.”

Indeed, the truck was filled a day early, emptied, and driven back to Deerings for more donations.
Gordon said the need to help others is always there.

“I just heard the other day that there are two more families who are in need of help because of their financial status. A lot of people are in desperate need of every day necessities.”

The need is being tabulated by the Leelanau Christian Neighbors organization, which is larger and more organized than the Empire group but also efficient. Neither group has paid employees or an office requiring rent.

“The organization is run entirely by volunteers,” said Marilyn Zimmerman, a member of St.

Christopher’s Church and a member of the LCN board of directors. “Its administrative cost is very minimal.”

Two percent to be exact, according to figures provided by the organization, which about covers the cost of a newsletter, postage and a telephone. Congregations from 11 churches count themselves as members.

Food pantries in Northport and Suttons Bay are in need of a boost to continue serving all who are in need, according to LCN members. The pantries are getting pinched by two sides — a growing influx of need, and a drop in goods available from a warehouse in Cadillac that distributes surplus food provided by grocery producers and store chains.

“The things we order, the things we feel are our staples, are getting more difficult to get there,” said Zimmerman.

Tom’s Market and Hansen’s provide food at cost, which LCN board member Ann Beurele said is “very kind. But (the food warehouse) doesn’t have as much anymore, so I know why were running into financial trouble.”

And use has been increasing, especially in Northport where pantry volunteer Barbara Zeits has reached into the community for residents in need. Between January and June in 2006, the Northport pantry counted 158 patrons. The number increased to 832 in 2007.

Business at the Suttons Bay site also jumped during the same time frame, increasing from 828 to 987 families.

The LCN pantries operate on annual budgets that move between $40,000 and $50,000. “It varies on how much we take in,” said Zimmerman.

LCN had $43,000 to work with in 2007, but is down to $28,000 presently. A just-awarded grant of $10,000 from the Grand Traverse Band will help, but is not enough.

Through June of 2007, the pantry received $33,000 in revenues but incurred $38,000 in expenses.

“We’re concerned because it now seems to be getting worse rather than better,” said Zimmerman.
As in Empire, many financial contributions for LCN pantries are received during food drives from people who send checks instead of cans.

Member churches also help. St. Christopher’s holds an annual potluck dinner with attendees asked to contribute an amount that would normally be spent for a restaurant meal toward the pantries. Some churches pass an extra collection plate once a month.

But Christian values can only go so far. While Matthew and Mark wrote how they witnessed Jesus feeding 5,000 with five loaves of bread, pantry workers have no such miracle available to them.

In Leelanau County, checks and canned goods are needed to feed the hungry.
“We’re struggling because we have a small amount of money in reserve — especially if the need keeps going up,” said Zimmerman.

————————————————————————————————–

Here's where to send checks, drop off food.

Want to help food pantries in Leelanau County? Here’s how.

Leelanau Christian Neighbors operates pantries in Suttons Bay and Northport, and an outreach program to provide financial help to families in need. Send checks to Leelanau Christian Neighbors, P.O. Box 32, Suttons Bay 49682. For more information, call president Jane Nichols at 271-2660.
Drop-off sites for food — canned and dry goods — are located in many member churches. Food is accepted at Suttons Bay Congregational Church, 218 W. Madison St., on Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tom’s Market in Northport also serves as a drop-off site.

Member churches in Suttons Bay are St. Michael’s Church, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Keswick United Methodist Church and Suttons Bay Congregational Church; in Lake Leelanau is St. Mary Church; in Gill’s Pier is St. Wenceslaus Church; in Northport are St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Trinity United Church of Christ, Bethany Lutheran Church, Evangelical Covenent Church and St. Gertrude’s Church; in Peshawbestown is Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Church, and in Leland is Leland Community Methodist Church.

The Empire Area Food Pantry operates in Burdickville out of the Glen Lake Community Reformed Church, 4902 MacFarlane Road, Glen Arbor 49636. Make checks out to the Empire Area Food Pantry, and mail to any member church. They are Bethlehem Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 353, Glen Arbor 49363; Empire United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 261, Empire 49630; Empire First Baptist Church, Empire 49630; and the Community Reformed Church, where food may be dropped during regular business hours. Further information is available by contacting Chad Kahler, Empire pantry chair, at 334-3325.