ST. JOHNS, Mich. — A St. Johns food pantry is tackling food insecurity by offering free groceries to residents in need.
- Little Carriers food pantry in St. Johns has served nearly 4,000 people in need
- Visitors can select their own groceries once a month from various food sections
- The average age of homeless individuals in Clinton County is just 7 years old
Little Carriers food pantry allows people to select their own food items once a month, serving nearly 4,000 people since opening.
Watch below to see how Basic Needs is helping the unhoused in St. Johns
"Food insecurity is a real issue here in St. Johns and Clinton County, and this is one way we can address that by helping provide free food to our neighbors," Jim Pearl said.
Pearl's mission is to help neighbors in need through the Little Carriers food pantry in St. Johns.
"People can come once a month and get a full grocery cart full of food, and it's their choice of different items," Pearl said.
When visitors enter the building, they receive a cart and can select one item from each section to fill their pantries.
"They get to walk around the store and pick the items they would like for themselves and their families," Pearl said.
The focus is to give back to the St. Johns community, and Marlene White says this helps people of all ages who are struggling.
"We have homeless people, the average age in Clinton County of the homeless is seven years old. But the child does not realize they are homeless, so they are couch surfing," White said.
It's an issue they're tackling one cart at a time. Leaders say since opening, they've served almost 4,000 people in need.
"We're here to help you in any way that we can. If we can't, we'll get in touch with someone who can," Pearl said.
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This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
