RIVES TWP., MI -- A new food pantry is opening in Rives Township thanks to Rives Baptist Church, 2800 W. Berry Road.
It opens for the first time from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Nov. 17, said Shannon Murray, pantry coordinator.
It is to continue being open at this time on time on Thursdays, but is closed on the fifth Thursday of various months and on Thanksgiving, Murray said.
Open dates and the various closings can be checked on the church's Facebook page or by calling it directly, 517-569-3457.
The church has a little more than 14,000 pounds of food right now, Murray said.
"There is lots of fresh frozen meat, 10-pound bags of chicken, burger, roasts, so we're hoping to get those out on Thursday," she said. "People shop for their own groceries, we don't box it all up."
One family member per household can shop and food is distributed based on the number of people per household, she said. People can come once every 30 days.
The church's pantry is in its third installment and allows multiple people to shop at once, Murray said.
"It started in the kitchen of the church in a small closet and we just started going at a rapid rate, it took up half of the church's prayer room," Murray said.
Private donations got the new pantry moving and volunteers built it, with the exception of contracted floors.
"We went from a 10-by-10 closet with one person going in at a time to now a 26-by-36 room," Murray said.
The pantry is built directly onto the church, Murray said.
"I appreciate everyone's hard work," she said. "To watch it transform is amazing."
Items in the pantry come from the Food Bank of South Central Michigan in Battle Creek.
