More than 30 families come to the Saint Vincent De Paul food pantry for help every month. That's a lot of stress on the pantry, but it's partially alleviated by the help that they receive from Meijer's "Simply Give" program.
"It really has allowed us to do a lot more things," says Tom Haselschwerdt, a volunteer at the pantry. "We're really appreciative of what Meijer's is doing."
The program allows customers to buy a $10 gift card for the food pantry. Meijer then matches the donations and they are given to a pantry that is linked with that particular store. That way the money helps that specific community.
"We had approximately $90,000 worth of food coupons that were purchased."
It's a huge help for a huge problem too. The US Department of Agriculture says more than 17 million households don't have all the food they need, making programs like "Simply Give" so important, especially in the beginning of summer.
"It's been tremendous as far as us being able to serve more people," says Haselscherdt. "Also more food in each of the bags depending on the size of the family."
If you are in need of a bridge card, you can follow this link follow this link to find out where you can apply to get one in your county.
You can reach Ingham county's number at 517-887-9400.
You can reach Jackson county's number at 517-780-7400.
You can reach Eaton county's number at 517-543-0860.
