Jackson Community Food Pantry giving out food, working to reopen - MLive.com

Jackson Community Food Pantry giving out food, working to reopen - MLive.com

JACKSON, MI – The Jackson Community Food Pantry announced in a Facebook post that it is giving away non-perishable food at 11 a.m. Monday, July 15.

The food will be on shelves in the parking lot, and anyone coming to pickup food is advised to walk or park elsewhere as there will be no space for vehicles.

The food is being given away to aid in the cleanup of a problem that occurred June 3 and has caused the pantry to be temporarily closed, Executive Director Mark Smith said.

Jackson Community Food Pantry temporarily shuts down over unnamed problem

The Jackson Community Food Pantry announced in a Facebook post on Monday, June 3 that it will be closed until further notice due to an “unfortunate problem."

Smith said the pantry was closed due to a freezer issue causing around 200 pounds of chicken to fall on the floor and thaw. Because workers aren’t at the pantry everyday and enter the freezer area less frequently, the thawed chicken was on the floor for about five days before being discovered.

“We weren’t sure what needed to be done, so we closed it down,” he said. “We have to be careful when we’re working with food to make sure everything is OK.”

Food is being moved out of the building and given away in order to replace carpeting and do remediation work, Smith said. The food has been tested by an industrial hygienist and is safe to eat, he said.

Smith said he doesn’t have an exact date on when the pantry will reopen, but it should be within a few weeks. In addition to cleanup work, the pantry is taking the opportunity to fix up the building, he said.

The Jackson Community Food Pantry feeds more than 1,000 households a month and costs about $6,000 a month to keep open, Smith said. He said the pantry will need more donations to stay running and one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly donations can be made on the pantry’s website.

“We’ve been real blessed with help from our donors in the past, so I think we should be OK,” Smith said.

More information can be found on the Jackson Community Food Pantry Facebook page and the pantry can be reached at 517-962-1005. Workers aren’t in the building everyday and have been in the building even less frequently now that it’s closed, but someone will get back to anyone who leaves a message, Smith said.

Resources are available throughout Jackson County for those who are in need and will be affected by the food pantry’s temporary closure.

Free lunches for kids are available at many sites throughout Jackson County, as well as more sites within the city of Jackson.

Free meals for kids served across Jackson County this summer

Several Jackson County schools are offering free meals to kids throughout summer break.

Buses bringing free meals to Jackson kids this summer

Jackson Public Schools is serving free meals to kids at schools, churches, parks and on a bus route in 2019.

The Salvation Army is open from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday to assist anyone who needs food, Shannon Skarritt, development director, said. Those who are in need are encouraged to come once every 60 days but the Salvation Army will never turn away anyone who needs food, Skarritt said.

United Way of Jackson County has a Fresh Food Initiative program through the Food Bank of South Central Michigan with additional distributions from July 9 to Sept. 24.

Food and produce distributions will take place at seven different locations throughout the day every Monday. Throughout the rest of the year, distributions will take place on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. More information on times, dates and locations can be found on the program’s online flyer.

Those who need food and may be affected by the pantry’s closing can call 211 to find resources near them, Rick Chambers, United Way of Jackson County communication consultant, said. Those who call the number can be connected to a number of services, as well as food. More information can be found on the United Way’s website.