This past year has been amazing. As we go into this new year of 2020, we have our sights on more and better ways to serve the communities of Portage, Schoolcraft, Three Rivers and Vicksburg.

This past year our numbers have grown, mostly because we are becoming better known. But the good thing is… most of newer clients are not staying with us as long as they have in the past. The economy has had a great deal to do with this.

What does Twelve Baskets currently offer?

• We offer distribution weekly for our clients. Each family may shop twice a month if they wish and they may pick two of the four days, we do not assign days. Currently we are serving 100+ families each week.
• We have a Free Store, open to our clients during distribution hours. It is filled with clothing and household goods. Recently we installed a new furnace and painted. Much more is needed, but for now it serves its purpose.
• On Tuesdays and Fridays we share our abundance with other pantries. They receive fresh produce, baked goods and breads.

What is new at Twelve Baskets ?

• We have started a “Fundraising Capital Campaign”. We launched this campaign in October and we are accepting monetary donations, exclusively to help us purchase the property next door, increasing our space from 2,800 square feet to 10,700 square feet. It will take about $500,000 to accomplish this goal. The owner of this building is willing to wait while we raise the funds. Once the building is purchased we will need to repair the roof, remove walls, install handicap bathrooms, establish an indoor waiting room for our clients, install a “clean kitchen”, change out the heating units and hopefully put in air conditioning. We will need more and better shelving than we presently have. The parking lot will need to be black topped (it is a mud hole right now) and a drain field will need to be dug (per city regulations). As you can see, there will be lots to do and we are currently looking for volunteers who will help us do it.

What physical changes have occurred?

• We purchased a standalone walk-in freezer that sits outside in the parking area next to our standalone walk-in refrigeration unit. The freezer is 20′ long and 8′ wide. By doing this it has enabled us to accept more frozen products, mostly resulting in the clients receiving more meat and fish each time they shop.
• We also were gifted with a 2003 Toyota 4 runner that will be used for short runs and smaller food pickups. So along with our two Ford vans, we now have 3 vehicles that are on the road 7 days a week, sometimes making two or more runs a day. Wow, who would have ever thought!!!!

What food items do we provide?

• We have canned and boxed goods, vegetable juices, peanut butter and jellies, frozen meats & fish, fresh produce, milk (most of the time), ice cream, breads of all types, bakery items like cookies, donuts, pies and cakes. It is our goal to serve wholesome healthy foods, thus items like mac n cheese and hamburger helper are not items we strive to have (though we do take them when donated). We are interested in teaching our clients to actually cook, rather than fixing “fast food” items that are not as nutritious as they should be. And best of all, our clients shop in a grocery store atmosphere, picking out the foods they want and will eat reducing waste.

As you can see we run a fairly big operation that takes many dollars to maintain. We rely solely on donations and volunteers (no one receives any payment for their services), so it is necessary for both of these areas to grow, as the pantry grows. We are very thrifty with our $$$’s

Several years ago we established a policy to never ask volunteers to commit to any specific time to offer their services. Our motto is “Come when you can, leave when you must”. With that said, most of our volunteers work way more hours than we ever expected. And many of our volunteers are clients who are anxious to give back. What a blessing for us and for them. Thank you to all the volunteers.

When we originally started talking about a name for our pantry, we had many ideas, but the suggestion of Twelve Baskets seemed most appropriate to us. We also made a commitment to start each food distribution with prayer, blessings and announcements. All those who want to, join in.

Twelve Baskets… What does this mean?

• It means that we have future goals of filling all twelve baskets. The first basket is the pantry, the second is the Free Store and our third basket is our sharing to other pantries. NINE TO GO! Won’t you join with our mission to “STOMP OUT HUNGER” right here in our community?

We are Blessed