Good Neighbors Food Pantry opening every Tuesday starting Sept. 22

Good Neighbors Food Pantry of Boyne City will open its doors on Tuesday, Sept. 22. A dedication for the new pantry is Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend. The pantry’s annual meeting, including installation of board members and election of officers, will precede the dedication at 6 p.m.

The pantry is located on the west side of the Boyne Area Free Clinic’s building at 624 State St.. Volunteers have been refurbishing an area in the building for the two months, and equipping it for food distribution.

“The support we’ve received from the community has been amazing,” said Good Neighbors board president Susan Conklin. “We are grateful to the many businesses, organizations and volunteers who have made it possible for us to get the building ready and get up and running so quickly.”

Donations of labor and materials, as well as financial contributions, have been received from the following businesses and organizations: Firehouse Flooring, Preston Feather, Carpentree Inc., Wright Building and Design, CindiFranco’s Cool Stuff, The Wood Shop, Boyne City Hardware, Boyne Area Free Clinic, The Grain Train Natural Foods Market, Char-Em United Way, and the City of Boyne City.

The pantry will be open once a week, every Tuesday beginning Sept. 22 from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Depending on the need, another day may be added to the schedule.

Volunteers are still needed for various aspects of pantry operations, from stocking shelves to picking up food, to helping on pantry days. Donations for operating the pantry and purchasing food are also welcome.

The Good Neighbors Food Pantry recently formed to help improve access to healthy foods for families in need. Discussions began months ago between The Manna Food Project and area pantries about how to meet hunger needs in the area, and eventually resulted in the formation of a committee to explore options. That committee became Good Neighbors Food Pantry, and has grown to include many community members, who have taken on the project with enthusiasm.

> For more information about Good Neighbors Food Pantry or to volunteer, email goodneighborsboyne@gmail.com, visit the Volunteer Connections page at CharEm United Way (charemunitedway.com), or visit Good Neighbors Food Pantry on Facebook. Donations may be sent to Good Neighbors Food Pantry, PO Box 35, Boyne City, MI  49712. Visit their Facebook page.