This year, the Caseville Community Food Pantry provided monthly pop-up pantries to members in the Caseville area, with thousands of pounds of food distributed each time.
Amy Redwantz, who helps organize the food pantry pop-ups, is not only keen to organize the monthly pop-ups, but she’s also passionate about managing pantry inventory for those in need of food between pop-ups. I’ve been working on it.
“Every truck is guaranteed 10,000 pounds of food,” says Redwantz. “But food banks[in eastern Michigan]bring a lot more. We received a grant from United Dairy Industries in Michigan to provide dairy for the last pop-up, but the same foods usually don’t. will be distributed.”
This grant, along with a matching donation and another Huron Community Foundation-backed grant, enabled the Caseville Food Pantry to purchase $3,000 worth of dairy products such as butter, sour cream, and cheese blocks. All products were purchased locally from the Caseville Family Market.
Feeding America – National charity dealing with food banks and distribution of surplus food.
“We thought it was important to shop locally,” says Redwantz. “They still give us good products, but they don’t sell in stores. They are big supporters.”
Redwantz and Food Pantry’s efforts are helping up to 300 households at each pop-up event. It is estimated that approximately 700-900 community members are assisted each month. Alongside nearly £20,000 of food per truck, over £180,000 of his food distributed in caseville was provided this year.
They work with an East Michigan food bank to bring their trucks in every month.
“Our goal is to close the gap,” says Redwantz. “We don’t think we can meet everyone’s needs. If we could provide a family with three boxes of cereal, a box of spaghetti and sauce, we might spend less on groceries. No. By giving this extra food, we can buy the rest of the food.Food prices are rising and people really need this extra help. It may sound silly, but hunger does not take vacations.People are recovering from the pandemic and are losing their jobs.They are running out of supplies and running out of food.”
It costs $1,200 to load one truck. The Caseville Community Food Pantry partners with both the public and private sector regarding donors.
Past donors include DTE, Caseville Community Chest, Huron County Community Foundation, Caseville Eagle’s Club, and many other organizations. Redwantz said whenever a larger organization is involved, members and workers from these groups usually come and help the food pantry distribute the food.
“If we have a corporate sponsor, we enlist them,” says Redwantz. “So they can see and meet the people they are helping. They can see how their donations are helping and impacting their lives.”
In addition to working with corporate sponsors and food banks in Eastern Michigan, Redwantz adds that they are working with Feeding America and the local Dollar General Store. Similar to the Caseville Family Market, collect enough groceries from these stores that you can’t sell but distribute to the community. It is then stored at the Helping Hands Recycle Store for those in need. All of this is in addition to our in-house operated food pantry for those in need of urgent or emergency food assistance.
The Caseville Community Food Pantry is located at 6495 Main St. in Caseville and can be found online at casevillefoodpantry.com or on our Facebook page. They provide resources for food aid and have a means for community members to donate to support their cause.
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