In the Aug. 6 issue of The Belleville Area Independent, I wrote an article about food pantries run by three local churches: Belleville United Methodist, Faith Community, and Be Church.
The BUMC pantry is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Makana Foundation hosts a “pop-up” style pantry at Faith Community Church on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. And Be Church starts their food giveaway at 4 p.m. each Thursday.
I was so impressed with not just the work each church was doing around feeding their neighbors in need but also the fact that they coordinate with and help each other out, from joint fundraising to one organization donating a chest freezer to the other.
However, they are not the only churches in the greater Belleville area providing for their neighbors in need. Marilyn Wood, head of the pantry program at BUMC, sent us information about programs run by other area churches.
Trinity Episcopal Church at 11575 Belleville Rd. does Friday backpacks for students at Tyler and Rawsonville Schools. Contact Rev. Chip Dischinger at 699-3361 for more information. Wood tells us that the Friday Backpacks are distributed on Fridays so that students at these two elementary schools will have food for the weekend.
Messiah Lutheran Church, with Pastor Bill Hailes, meets on Wednesday evenings at Belleville Presbyterian Church on Belleville Rd. It has an Organic Community Garden that volunteers meet and work on Saturday mornings from 9-11 a.m. The church’s number is 734-740-4230.
Wood also said she’s not sure if it’s still running, but Open Arms Lutheran Church at 7865 Belleville Rd, 734-699-5000, helped with Friday backpacks as well.
Another church, Abundant Harvest Church, 51185 Willis Rd, has a 24/7 Bountiful Pantry and a Free Backpack Program. The backpack provides free school supplies and backpacks for children on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Pastor Willie S. Foster III at 734-216-8954.
And finally, if you’d like to support the local food pantries, one easy way is to visit the Makana Foundation’s yard sale from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 12 during the City Wide Yard Sale at 894 E. Huron River Dr. All proceeds support the Makana Foundation’s food pantry.