Alpena Salvation Army Receives Grant Money for Food Pantry
110 food pantries across the state of Michigan were awarded a total of two hundred and forty three thousand dollars in grant money that will increase healthier food options. Two here in northeast Michigan were selected, including the Salvation Army in Alpena.
The Alpena Salvation Army received over $3,000 of the grant money from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan, and United Dairy Industry of Michigan. Their main goal is to use that money they’ve been granted to buy fresh food that’s gotten much more expensive, and that people might not be as able to easily afford. This includes eggs, dairy products and fresh produce that they are keeping in a refrigerator in their office.
“It’s things that they probably would ignore, or not get, because they need to get those boxed items, like macaroni and cheese and things like that, and those aren’t healthy, we want to be healthy,” said Major Prezza Morrison. “So even if we can put things in here like apples and oranges, so that’s how the funds are going to be used, to provide the produce, and the dairy, and the vegetables, and the fruit that can provide for their baskets.”
Major Morrison says the feeling of helping someone for the holidays when they might not be able to themselves is a great one.
“This is the joy you bring on people’s face when you give,” she said. “This is the joy, it’s infectious. You just become so excited, and you want to share it.”
The Salvation Army is open Monday through Friday until 5 pm on Second street in downtown Alpena for people to pick items up.
