HARRISON — A northern Michigan food pantry that’s been around for decades will be forced to close their doors if they can’t find another place to go.
After 17 years, the Compassion Counts Food Pantry in Harrison is in danger of closing at the end of October.
Assistant director of the pantry, Tammy Wyse said it’s because The Gathering United Methodist Church’ where the pantry is located is shutting down due to financial struggles.
“We’ve already cried about it, some of us. And it’s very sad. It’s heartbreaking, very heartbreaking. It’s very sad. This pantry means a lot. Not just to the people that receive the food, but also the volunteers,” said Wyse.
She said the church founded the pantry and paid all of their overhead expenses.
The non-profit-has a small budget, has no payroll, is solely volunteer based and gets most food through donations.
They still have to buy some items and would not be able to survive without the church’s help. We wouldn’t be able to do it financially. Sometimes we struggle with just purchasing the food to make sure the families get food.
They are starting to get the word out about the impending closure.
“We’re trying not to panic everybody, but we have a sign on our door saying that the 30th of October is our last day, and a lot of people are devastated. And their comments were, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” said Wyse.
There is a lot of need, and the pantry is the only one in the area open three days a week.
Last month they served more than 1,200 people, including close to 400 families and there’s more coming in all the time.
“We have new sign-ups every single time we’re open. So, it is a huge need. People are having hard times and there’s homeless people that come here,” said Wyse.
They have contacted religious organizations in the area to see if they can take them in but haven’t found any takers yet.
“We spoke with some of them, and they just don’t have the room or, you know, the ability to do it,” said Wyse.
This situation is not just impacting the people who use the pantry, but also the volunteers who run it, like donation coordinator Amanda Morgan.
“It’s like spending time with family. We all get along, we all play. We all just have a good time. We spend a lot more time together than we would outside of here,” said Morgan.
She also worries about the people who use the pantry and what their future holds.
“There’s a lot of families that are going to potentially starve. It’s just hard for the community,” said Morgan.