Metro Detroit senior apartments to get fresh food pantries
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The new fridge and pantry at Gratiot Woods apartments. Photo: Courtesy of Metro Food Rescue
Metro Food Rescue is trying out a new way to bring food directly to those who need it: stocking community fridges in their apartment buildings.
Why it matters: Transportation and time can be obstacles for older people trying to access food pantries and other resources.
State of play: The six-year-old organization will open mini fresh food pantries in affordable housing complexes for seniors, starting Thursday with the 62-unit Gratiot Woods Co-op apartments on Detroit's east side.
What they're saying: "The charitable food system is an amazing group of humans who are trying to do well and trying to make a difference," Metro Food Rescue (MFR) founder Chad Techner tells Axios. At the same time, though, "it's not always charitable to the people who are using it."
- "I can't imagine being a senior that doesn't have a car and has to use public transportation to get to a food pantry and then lug all that food back on that same public transportation …"
Zoom in: Each site will be restocked weekly to include fruit, vegetables, bread and other essentials in a fridge and shelf-stable pantry.
- This model involves more legwork on MFR's side than dropping off bulk goods to a food pantry, but could be worth the effort to serve residents more directly, Techner says.
The big picture: MFR's overarching goal is to reduce food waste while providing needed groceries to food-insecure people. It delivers food from big-box stores and farmers to food pantries, soup kitchens and elsewhere.
Threat level: More than 1.5 million Michiganders face hunger, according to Feeding America, or about one in six people.
- But food products made up 19% of all solid waste in Michigan landfills as of 2024, per an economic impact report.
Case in point: Earlier in the week, Techner picked up excess catered sandwiches and salads from the Hudson's building downtown to put in the new fresh pantry at Gratiot Woods starting Thursday.
Between the lines: The pilot program is funded for two years with a $226,000 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.
- MFR aims to work its way up to eight to 10 sites in the region, testing out what kinds and amounts of products to stock.
What's next: If this new model works, Techner wants to grow the program to be a regular part of MFR's operations.
- He sees it as an opportunity to engage corporations interested in local philanthropy who could sponsor a building's pantry and assign volunteers to help deliver food there.