The local nonprofit 5Loaves2Fish will now distribute meals in Peshawbestown at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church every Thursday from 4-6 p.m., adding another location to its growing list of meal sites to help those who are hungry or who live with food insecurity.
Corrie Piersma, 5Loaves2Fish director of development, said the meals to-go included sweet potato, black bean and corn enchiladas, some salads, soups, and pizzas, as well as chocolate chip cookies for dessert for the launch last Thursday. Piersma said over the years, a lot of people have wanted to make the launch happen. The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) tribal council and other GTB members made the final location possible and helped find site volunteers to staff it and hand out food.
“We just want to feed people, so we’re trying to do it in a respectful and honoring way in whatever community we’re serving,” Piersma said. “... Many women from there (Peshawbestown) would come to Suttons Bay (Friendship Center site) to pick up meals for different families. I asked them one day, ‘what if we just have a site up there?’ Especially as winter is coming and everything is starting to change, the traffic and driving…” Hundreds of homemade meals by 5Loaves2Fish are served or distributed to people in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Benzie counties. In addition to Peshawbestown, they also deliver and distribute prepacked meals at Veterans Park and Safe Harbor in Traverse City, Leelanau Christian Neighbors in Lake Leelanau, Empire Food Pantry, Lake Ann United Methodist Church Food Pantry, the Friendship Community Center in Suttons Bay, and Bethany Lutheran Church in Northport. Hot community meals are served at Leland Community United Methodist Church, where 5Loaves2Fish’s kitchen is located, every Tuesday.
