Twelve Baskets is a volunteer-run 501 c3 nonprofit organization founded in June 2014 as a food pantry to serve Portage, Schoolcraft, Vicksburg, Three Rivers and surrounding communities. A Free Store was opened in 2018 to help meet basic clothing, hygiene and household needs.

 

The Pantry and Free Store are thriving thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers and the donations and financial support we receive from large and small businesses, individuals, schools and churches, restaurants, and grocery stores, as well as the local gardeners and farmers who share their harvests.

 

The need in our community continues to grow! The pantry is now providing perishable and non-perishable groceries to more than 300 families at the four Distribution Days held monthly on alternating Fridays and Saturdays. That’s three times as many families as our 2020 average of 100 families per distribution.

 

We receive thousands of pounds of close-to-sell-by perishables weekly from local businesses and via our affiliation with Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and community-based organizations in the United States working to create a future where no one is hungry. It now takes more than 400 hours of volunteer help each week to pick up, deliver, store, sort and distribute the bounty!

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

 

• Partner with us: We are seeking area companies as partners to support us financially, donate products, and to promote volunteerism and giving through matching donation programs.
• Volunteer: We have numerous opportunities to volunteer.
• Donate cash to help us with operational expenses and to purchase staples.
• Donate food to help us keep our baskets full.
• Donate Free Store items to help meet basic needs for clothing, hygiene, household items, etc.

We welcome you to contact us anytime for more information or to learn more about joining our team!

 

Feeding hearts and bellies: How a West Michigan pantry caters to hundreds weekly
Thank you, WWMT, for visiting in March 2024 to share our story with the community!