Category: News

2022 Year in Review

Dear Friends of Twelve Baskets,

What a year 2022 has been. Throughout 2021 and 2022 we set and reset goals for Twelve Baskets. Our faith and prayers kept us going and our biggest goal set was to purchase the building nextdoor.

In October we completed the purchase of the property at 10330 Portage Rd, along with having a new roof put on three weeks later. The company we chose were wonderful to work with, they quoted a fair price and then discounted it as their part in helping us, along with a 20 year guarantee. Their work was superb. We feel very blessed because the previous owner and the roofing company stuck to their word for three years on the price. Without them, we would never have been able to reach this milestone. The building is in rough shape, but structurally sound.

Three Reasons for purchasing the building:
• The purchase the property insures that we have a place for our clients to park
• A place to house our three vans (no more theft of catalytic converters)
• Expansion of the Free Store.

Immediate Goals for the Building:
• Expand the Free Store from 960 sq ft to 2700 sq ft.
• Install two new ceiling heaters, we currently don’t have any heat in the new space
• Improve the wiring and add more lighting.
• Install new exterior doors and overhead doors
We are currently looking for Volunteers and Donations for these projects.

Pantry Improvements received in 2022:
• New heavy duty carts for moving boxes around
• New 3 door stainless steel freezer and a 2 door refrigerator (mainly for eggs)
• New stainless steel tables on wheels,
• Two new overhead doors
• Purchased a used van to replace our oldest van
• New pallet jack
• New security system
The first four items were directly donated. The last three were in our budget.

Special Service Provided for the Pantry
• A local church has volunteered to supply 25 families that live in Selinon Apartments on Centre Ave in Portage with food delivery once a month. These families must meet certain qualifications to receive this service.

Special Services Provided at the Free Store:
• If a client is in need of something large that we do not have room for at the Store (such as a Queen Mattress & Box Spring), we put their name in a book along with their phone number. When someone calls and wants to donate that item, we connect client with the donor and vice versa.

Services That Twelve Baskets Provides:
• All families served with food my shop twice a month. We are open the 1st & 3rd Fridays and the 2nd & 4th Saturdays. Clients may pick their own 2 days.
• All families who shop the Free Store may shop whenever we are open. Every Tuesday and the 2nd & 4th Fridays and the 1st & 3rd Saturdays.
• We are continuing to help local pantries with our surplus. The Free Store shares its surplus with other Free Stores in SW Michigan along with some special assistance to the homeless population. Other organizations that receive our surplus are Restored Souls, Animal Rescue, Humane Society, St Joe County Emergency Rescue, and Amanda’s House.

External Ways of Earning Extra Funds:
• Our annual Plant Sale in June was a huge success, thanks to the local greenhouse that donated all the plants and local businesses that donated our door prizes … 100 % of sales went directly to the pantry.
• Grants and private company donations were very good this year, as were the three churches that so faithfully donate throughout the year. Every donation is appreciated beyond words. We would not exist if these donations did not come in.

 

Other donations:
• Our snow plowing was a total donation, as was the 10 yards of mulch to make the front of the two buildings look nice. Five guys from a local men’s group showed up to spread the mulch. Wow, 45 minutes later the place looked fantastic.

This year we have had some major expenses, especially with our outdoor refrigeration & freezer units. Our vans and the big box truck are old, so there are always expenses that go along with that.

Our numbers have grown almost 100% this year and fortunately the local grocery stores have been able to provide the food needed to maintain our current quantity of items for distribution. In the past we have had challenges with people outside of our area showing up for distribution, so we changed our policy. The last hour of each distribution is now open to those from outside our area. This has made a huge difference and seems to be working very well for everyone.

Twelve Baskets feels very blessed with everything that has happened over this past year. We cannot thank everyone enough for all that you (they) do.

TwelveBaskets10330@gmail.com … Twelve-Basket.org … facebook.com/twelvebasketsmi … 269-532-4912

Make a bigger impact by donating long-term appreciated securities, including stock, bonds, and mutual funds, directly to TWELVE BASKETS. Compared with donating cash, or selling your appreciated securities and contributing the after-tax proceeds, you may be able to automatically increase your gift and your tax deduction.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Donor Relations Team by calling 269-365-0533 to see how your long-term securities, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds can make a difference in our fight to STOMP OUT HUNGER in our community.

Twelve Baskets Free Store!

Did you know that our food pantry also has a FREE STORE?? It is located at 10330 Portage Rd, Portage MI right next door to the north. It is open to the public every Tuesday from 9 am to 2 pm, the 2nd and 4th Friday’s from 2:00 pm until 7:00 pm, and on the 1st and 3rd Saturday’s of the month from 9 am until 2 pm. Our Free Store has pretty much anything you can find in a home. We take donations of all kinds including gently used & clean clothing, any kitchen items, clean blankets and sheets, gently worn and clean shoes, jackets and winter coats, luggage, furniture, clean toys and games that have all their pieces, accessories like necklaces, purses and backpacks, clean hats and gloves, winter boots, snow pants, diapers(adult and baby), wipes, baby formula, seasonal decorations, outside lawn chairs. We also accept over the counter medications that haven’t been opened, new toothbrushes, dish soap, laundry soap, cleaning products, shampoo and body wash.  Pretty much anything you have that is gently used and clean we will accept. The items donated are totally FREE to anyone who comes in our doors looking for items that they find they need. There is a limit on how many items one is able to get in one shop.

2nd Annual Trunk or Treat Fundraiser

 

 

2nd Annual Trunk or Treat Fundraiser October 30th 2021 From 1pm-3pm
We are incredibly excited to announce our 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat Fundraiser Event!!

Bring a nonperishable food or personal care item and place it at the trunk you think is the best!! The volunteer who has the most items donated at the end wins!! Trick or treat each booth and get lots of candy. We will even have treats for those who cannot have candy!! So come dressed up in your Halloween costume and have some good fun trick or treating !!

Parking will be in the north parking lot.

ANNUAL PLANT AND FLOWER SALE

We’re having our annual plant sale fundraiser on June 5th from 9am-3pm. Mark your calendars, you won’t want to miss this sale!! There will be hanging baskets, landscaping flats, and veggie and herb plants. We will have our yummy bake sale items as well. Such as homemade banana bread and zucchini bread to name a couple. All funds go to helping our communities with “STOMPING OUT HUNGER”.

2019 Year in Review

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

COVID and our pantry

Covid is still very present in our community. We are continuing the drive-thru distribution at least until summer. We will be collecting information from our clients per the USDA guidelines. Please be advised that this is a requirement from the state so it is mandatory to get food. There are no exceptions. Distribution is still the 1st and 3rd Friday from 2:30-5:30pm and the 2nd and 4th Saturday from 10am-1pm. You will be required to stay in your vehicle at all times and have an empty trunk for us to load your groceries. Please do your part and wear a mask!!! The more we comply with the orders the faster we can get back to normal.

Our Free Store is OPEN!! You can shop our Free Store now twice a week!! We will have it open on Tuesdays from 8am-2pm. Then the 1st and 3rd Saturday from 8am-2pm and the 2nd and 4th Friday from 1:30-6:30pm we will also have the Free Store open. You are required to wear a mask at all times, sanitize your hands upon entry, and maintain the social distancing rules of 6 feet between our guests and volunteers. Our Free Store now has laundry soap, body soap, dish soap, over the counter medicines, diapers for adults and children, shampoo, and tooth brushes and toothpaste !!!! We decided that this way our clients can pick out what they need in the personal care section instead of getting something they can’t use. We will also have baby food in the Free Store as well due to it being easier on our volunteers to get baby items to those who need it during this time. So please stop in and check out our Free Store located in the north parking lot at the end of the building. We have upgraded our shelves and clothing racks making it easier for our clients to shop.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers and donors that have kept us afloat during this stressful time. We are looking for a couple of dependable drivers to pick up food on a regular basis. Must be able to lift 40+ pounds and be able to commit to at least two days a week from 9-noon. Days open are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. So if this sounds like something you would like to commit to please reach out to us. You can email Board Member Heather at mazeheather@yahoo.com

MAKE A DIFFERENCE !!

Make a bigger impact by donating long-term appreciated securities, including stock, bonds, and mutual funds, directly to TWELVE BASKETS. Compared with donating cash, or selling your appreciated securities and contributing the after-tax proceeds, you may be able to automatically increase your gift and your tax deduction.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Donor Relations Team by calling 269-365-0533 to see how your long-term securities, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds can make a difference in our fight to STOMP OUT HUNGER in our community.

Tuffy Fundraiser

The Portage Tuffy Store has created a terrific Win/Win situation for Twelve Baskets Food Pantry!! Show this web page or pick up a flyer from our pantry and bring it with you to Tuffy Tire and Auto located at 7027 S. Westnedge Portage MI, write a $44 check payable to Twelve Baskets Food Pantry, and you will receive a FREE FULL SYNTHETIC OIL CHANGE WITH A TIRE ROTATION that includes up to 5 quarts of full synthetic motor oil, premium oil filter and a vehicle health check. If you don’t need an oil change, the $44 can be applied to any other repair or service!!

Please CALL IN ADVANCE to let us know you are using the Twelve Baskets Food Pantry Flyer to set up your appointment so that all may be served adequately. (269)-327-9600

One per customer. Good through December 31, 2019

Thank you Tuffy Auto Service Center

SUMMER NEWSLETTER

It has been a busy few months here at Twelve Baskets Food Pantry!!! Great things have been happening. Let me share with you a few awesome highlights in this months newsletter.

We had a great turn out for our plant sale. Lots of flowers and plants were donated from the nurseries around the community. We were able to raise more money this year then any year before!! Thank you to all that made this possible, from the volunteers that set it up to the loyal customers that come back year after year to buy their plants from our fundraiser!!

The Krugh Family continues to be a huge support to our Food Pantry. We love seeing their little guy every month. He really enjoys shopping for items to donate with his parents. Isn’t he adorable !? We think so!! Thank you so much to this family for their continued support in our mission to help STOMP OUT HUNGER right here in our community.

We also had a bittersweet dinner between the board members and our AMAZING foreign exchange students , Maurice and Ruta. We are sad they had to return back to their countries but so blessed that they chose Twelve Baskets Food Pantry for their community service hours. These two kids are so kind and very helpful. They brought the sunshine on rainy days with their infectious smiles and positive attitudes. Even after their required hours were done, they continued on volunteering with us every week!! They will definitely be missed as they are very loved and part of our family now.

Our board member, Heather, lead a mother’s day project for the needy moms that shop at Twelve Baskets Food Pantry. She says “With the grace of the Lord and the amazing community I was able to make 52 bags full of fun pampering stuff for the moms that shop at Twelve Baskets. It was beautiful hearing all the excitement come from the moms when they returned after opening their bags. I feel that moms never take time out for themselves and thought that it would be a great treat for them. I couldn’t have done it without the help of the community and God. Thank you for everyone’s help to make mother’s day special for several moms at the pantry.”

We have been getting lots of goodies from our new pick up from Blain’s. From nuts, chips, candies, and several other nonperishable food items. Thank you so much to Blain’s for your continued support in our mission to STOMP OUT HUNGER. We also picked up a new restaurant!! We now get food from Outback Steak house as well!! How awesome is that ??!! Thank you so much Outback Steakhouse for your support !!

We’ve had several girl scout groups come through volunteering their time and raising money for us. We received several boxes of girl scout cookies from a couple of the groups this past few months. Thank you so much to these hard working, sweet girls. We appreciate when the community groups join together to helping feed the hungry in our community. We also had a group from a dance academy volunteer their time. It is great!! We definitely love these volunteer groups.

                       

We had a great time at Eaton Corp during their employee fun day. Board members Tami and Heather represented Twelve Baskets Food Pantry during their day of fun. The girls set up a fun game inspired by the Bozo Show from their childhood. Instead of buckets they used 12 baskets of different sizes for the employee to try to toss the ping pong ball. The employees had to donate money in order to play. If they won or donated money they got raffle tickets for their chance to win prizes supplied by Eaton. So it was a win win for everyone. They had lots of employees playing their game. It was a lot of fun and we were able to share information about our pantry to the employees and other booths. GREAT DAY!!

We have our ANNUAL GOLF AND DINNER FUNDRAISER coming up this September 14th 2019 at Indian Run Golf Club!! Get registered today to hold your spot. Space is limited. It is $75 per player and that includes golf, lunch at the turn, and dinner with a band for dancing!! If you can’t or don’t like to golf we have a just dinner option just for you!!! For $25 you get an awesome 5 star dinner with dessert and a great time dancing to the band. To get registered and join the fun email board member Heather at mazeheather@yahoo.com and she will get you preregistered for this awesome event. We will have several raffles so be sure to bring a nonperishable food item or personal care item. For each item that you bring you will receive a raffle ticket for your chance to win awesome prizes!!!

Thank you to all of our volunteers that continue to show up and help us during stocking and distributions. If you are looking for something fun and fulfilling to do join us every Tuesday from 10 am until around 1 pm and every Friday from 9 am-1:30 pm for stocking. We also need volunteers to help during distributions too. Distribution day and times are the first and third Friday from 4-7 pm and the 2nd and 4th Saturday from 8:30 am until noon.

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Stay up to date by checking our website and Facebook page. Continue to share the good news of Twelve Baskets Food Pantry so we can continue on helping those in need in our community.

God Bless