Noah Johnson Daily Press Bay College Dean of Student Success Amy Gibbs checks the food pantry at the Bay to see what items need to be restocked.

ESCANABA – Local food pantries need donations as demand increases.

Bay College, Salvation Army, St. Area food pantries, including pantries at St. Vincent De Paul and Escanaba Seventh-day Adventist Church, are generally seeing an increase in demand for services.

Each food pantry works with other organizations, suppliers, and stores to receive food, donations, and other supplies, including Aldi, Walmart, Meijer, Elmers, Gordon Food Service, Feeding America, and more. Local individuals, clubs, churches and other groups support the pantry with monetary and physical donations.

The pantry at the Bay started in 2017, spearheaded by a student who observed classmates who didn’t have enough money for food.

“They were hungry, and their hunger was affecting their ability to do well in school.” said Amy Gibbs, Dean of Student Success at Bay College.

Thanks to the students’ observations and subsequent initiatives, the Bay has a pantry for every student in need of food, hygiene and other necessities.

Gibbs talked about the importance of the pantry and said that a hungry body can affect brain functions, which is not an ideal situation for a college student.

“If you’ve gone without lunch and someone walks in with a slice of pizza, it’s like it’s really hard to focus.” Gibbs said.

The need for pantries in the Bay continues to grow, with the number of food items distributed more than doubling from 6,745 in 2022-2023 to 13,777 in 2023-2024.

“I think we continue to see increased demand for food, especially as prices have increased in recent years.” Gibbs said.

The Bay now has a food pantry at both the Escanaba and Iron Mountain campuses available to students needing food and other supplies.

Bay’s pantry is currently in need of shelf-stable, non-perishable food items like canned fruit, canned vegetables, pasta sauce, cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter, hygiene products and more.

The pantry at Escanaba is located in the Student Success Center building, room 532, between the bookstore and café©. The pantry in Escanaba is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. For more information, call 906-217-4014 or email [email protected].

Those interested in donating can contact Gibbs in Escanaba at 906-217-4014 or [email protected]. For Iron Mountain, contact Chris Wenzel at 906-302-3006 or [email protected].

St. Vincent De Paul is in the same boat as Bay, as requests for services are on the rise.

“People seem to have less ability to provide for their families with their income.” said St. Barb Van Erman, Vincent De Paul Food Pantry Manager.

The pantry serves many families, single individuals, and the homeless.

“The demand is much higher than it was a year ago because of inflation, and they are getting less food stamps.” Van Erman explained.

While this is certainly a challenge, VanErman says all nonprofits, retailers, food pantries and other organizations are working together to help the community.

“We are so fortunate to serve a wonderful community, and it is wonderful because of the people who help our various organizations.” he said.

“We’re all working together.”

St. Vincent De Paul’s pantry is currently in need of canned goods, crackers, pasta, macaroni and cheese, rice, personal hygiene items and more. The center is located at 115 North 8th Street and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. For more information, call the center at 906-789-1434.

The pantry at Escanaba Seventh-day Adventist Church has been operating for nearly 20 years and continues to grow.

Seventh-day Adventist Community Services Director Deborah LaMarch said the church always tries to give back to the community, especially through its food pantry.

“We try to provide service in line with their needs” LaMarch said.

Bay and St. Parallel to Vincent, there is an increase in the number of people needing help on Seventh-day.

“I would say (it has increased) in the last few months. That means an increase of 30 to 50 families per month.” LaMarch said.

Over the years, as the pantry has grown, so have the services they offer.

“We have so much to do” said Seventh Day Pantry Director Robin Wyckoff.

In addition to food in stock, the pantry also distributes personal hygiene supplies, sleeping bags, gloves and hats.

In September alone, the pantry served 600 households, including 346 children, 564 elderly people and 94 veterans; A total of 1,466 people were served from a single pantry.

“The number of families and individuals is increasing every month. ¬†We are also seeing an increase in the number of homeless people visiting us.” LaMarch said.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s pantry needs all kinds of non-perishable food items, including canned goods, grains, dry goods, pasta, rice, toiletries, personal hygiene items and more. The pantry is located at 210 South Lincoln Road and is open Mondays and Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, the pantry can be contacted through its Facebook page or by calling the church office at 906-786-0887 or eskysda@gmail. com.

Like its counterparts, the Salvation Army’s pantry is looking to the community for donations.

“It seems like new customers are coming in every month, and the need is definitely increasing, especially as it gets a little colder outside.” said Salvation Army Case Manager Jamie Ray.

He said the pantry currently serves about 200 families a month, including families, single individuals and senior citizens.

“We’re definitely seeing a broad spectrum of who comes and benefits from this service.” Ray explained.

The Salvation Army’s pantry is in need of all kinds of non-perishable food items, including canned goods, grains, dry goods, pasta, rice and more. The pantry is located at 3001 5th Avenue South in Escanaba. It is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Thursdays, and from 13 to 15:30 on the same days. Donations can be dropped off at the service center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s important to check expiration dates before donating, as some pantries may not accept expired items even if they are still usable.

Each pantry welcomes donations of food, personal hygiene and monetary donations. However, people wishing to donate should contact the appropriate pantry to coordinate large donations or donations that must be kept refrigerated or frozen.

Many pantries are now equipped with refrigerators and freezers for donating eggs, vegetables, milk and more.

Representatives from each pantry said they recognize the importance of community. They expressed their gratitude for the public’s continued support as they address issues of hunger, security and sustainability in society.

As Van Erman said: “People in need should know that they can be cared for.”