Students Fill Food Pantry Shelves
Paul Gingras

In an exuberant display of generosity, fourth grade students from St. Ignace Elementary School bring in a donation to the Food Pantry Monday, November 20. This year, kindergarten through seventh grade classes collected the food, increasing the district's donation to the charity.

For about 10 days in early November, St. Ignace students from kindergarten through the seventh grade collected food for the St. Ignace Food Pantry in a drive conducted by the fourth grades. Monday, November 20, the fourth graders carried boxes, cans, and bags to the pantry at 250 Ferry Lane, where volunteers will distribute it to people in need.

"You wouldn't believe how much of this disappears in two weeks," volunteer Mary Anne McClelland told the excited students. "People deeply appreciate what you bring."

Students learned that the food pantry is primarily an emergency service that supplies families in need with food for two to four weeks. Long term needs are provided by other social services agencies.

Emergencies can't always be avoided, Mrs. McClelland told the students.

Requests for assistance have been increasing for at least five years, and owing to recent layoffs and cuts in hours at job sites, the food pantry is seeing a surge in the number of people requesting help.

The Food Pantry dispersed more food this summer than any other summer since it opened in 2001, said Pastor Tari Stage-Harvey of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Ignace, who serves as the Pantry's treasurer.

The majority of last summer's clients were local residents. Few of the summer's transient workers used the service, she said.

Part of the reason for the increased demand results from moving the food pantry from a building on McCann Street to a combined resource center on Ferry Lane, where people became more aware of it and may feel more comfortable, Pastor Stage-Harvey said.

More than 150 people received food from the food pantry in October, up from about 95 a year ago. In 2005, the pantry spent $1,054 on groceries. This year, by the end of October, it already has spent $1,100 on groceries.

"It will be a tough winter," Pastor Stage-Harvey added, speculating on the trend. "A lot will be going out from the pantry."

Under the same roof, St. Ignace Area Hope operates a donationbased retail shop called Hope Chest and a hotline to social services. Project Hope is funded by donations and sales from its retail store and is operated independently from the Food Pantry.

Fourth grade teachers Jean Chargo and Patrice Mackin coordinated the fourth grade food project, with assistance from school volunteer Shannon McDaniel, LaSalle High School student and mentor Chelsea Bosley, classroom aides Roberta Robinson and Cindy Brown, food pantry volunteers, and Mrs. Mackin's husband, Eugene Elmer, who transported the food.

In addition to the students' donation, the St. Ignace Food Pantry received food and money collected at a multi-faith, Thanksgiving service held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church Sunday, November 19.

Between the two donations, the Pantry increased its stock by one third, volunteers said, and Wednesday, December 6, it will receive another donation from seventh and eighth grade students who attend St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Parish Center.

Donations are always welcome, Pastor Stage-Harvey said.

"I'm hoping for a lot of venison," she added, and explained that the pantry could use donations of money to buy meat.

Anyone interested in donating can call the Food Pantry and Project Hope at (906) 643-7360. Donations can also be made in person Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.