How Elsie Area Food Pantry Fights Hunger and Sparks Change

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Elsie Area Food Pantry in Elsie, Michigan serves neighbors across Clinton, Gratiot and Shiawassee counties in GLFB’s service area.

Elsie Area Food Pantry knows every partner has a role to play in the fight against hunger.  Because the village of Elsie, Michigan closely borders several counties, they frequently serve neighbors across Greater Lansing Food Bank’s (GLFB) service area from the counties of Clinton, Gratiot and Shiawassee.

Neighbors can visit the pantry on Mondays and Wednesdays each week to select items that meet their family’s needs. Additionally, the food pantry hosts a drive-through produce distribution three times a month.

In 2023, approximately 530 individual families visited the pantry and 2,200 families received produce boxes through the drive-through distribution. To support their work feeding neighbors in rural mid-Michigan, GLFB helped connect Elsie Area Food Pantry with the local Walmart in St. Johns for local food pickup.

“All the items received from Walmart are used for both of our programs,” said Toni Ornelas, director of the food pantry. “The produce we receive from them is a great asset. It helps us provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the families in our communities.”

In 2023, the Elsie Area Food Pantry received more than 4,000 meals’ worth of produce and bakery items from the St. Johns Walmart, allowing them to provide fresh and nourishing foods to neighbors while helping reduce retail food waste.

Now through April 29, you can partner with Walmart, Sam’s Club, GLFB and local neighborhood organizations like Elsie Area Food Pantry to Fight Hunger. Spark Change. There are three easy ways to support neighbors in need through the campaign:

  1. Donate at check-out in stores or clubs or round up at com and the Walmart app.
  2. Purchase participating products in-store or online at com or SamsClub.com. For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal on behalf of Greater Lansing Food Bank at Walmart and five meals at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for details.
  3. Donate at Feeding America’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either http://www.FeedingAmerica.org/Walmart or FeedingAmerica.org/SamsClub.

Thank you to all who participate. When we partner with a purpose, we can share more meals with neighbors across mid-Michigan!