Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry: Urgent Need

The looming disruption to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits means our neighbors face an urgent need. With federal funds at risk and local pantries already seeing higher demand and higher costs, it is important to act now. Please consider donating to the Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry today. Every gift helps fill the gap and supports people right here in our community when national support falters.

### How Bad Are the Circumstances? They’re serious. We Love Harbor Springs, Inc. encourages all readers to support a Food Pantry of your choice. In this issue, we are working directly with the Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry (HSCFP).

Times are complicated, and the need is real.

Donate

### The HSC Food Pantry recently shared this message: **“Are you at risk of losing your SNAP benefits while the government remains closed? We are here for you! Come see us tomorrow, Monday, from 9–11:30 a.m. at the Holy Childhood Church Community Center. We’re inside now, with the chilly weather setting in. We’ll watch for you!

The Pantry is currently on track to exceed our food expense budget for 2025 by 20%. We don’t know how much further beyond budget the immediate and long term fall out of SNAP suspension, along with other national challenges including skyrocketing of health insurance, will take us.”

Please consider donating to help our neighbors through this difficult time. Every contribution makes a difference. See below on how to donate.

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## Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry “Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry clients are part of an overlooked population who struggle to make ends meet. This vulnerable group is often invisible to the general public throughout the year, and especially during the busy summer months around here when abundant wealth appears to the norm.”

“Many aren’t aware that our food pantry is made up of many generous people, organizations and businesses. With their ever so generous donations of time, foods, fundraisers and other items so important to our local people as they fight to maintain a solid lifestyle, each plays an important part in making our pantry so successful and important in our communities. Some offer help on a scheduled, regular basis. Some are periodic helpers and donors. All are so appreciated and essential.”

“So hard to believe that our summer is steadily winding down. Summer and fall residents, as you prepare to close your cottage for the season, please consider donating your unused food items to our pantry! Donating your leftover food from your cottage is a great way to help those in need and reduce food waste. Give a call 231-526-2017 ext 143, or email hscfoodpantry@gmail.com to make arrangements.

Thanks for thinking of us!”

### Harbor’s Community Food Pantry Just Received the Ambassador Award “We are excited, amazed and not just a little bit humbled that out of so many other deserving Harbor Springs people and businesses, we were awarded the Marty Van De Car Community Ambassador Award at the annual Harbor Stars 29th Annual Community Awards Dinner last night. We have served our local population for over 20 years. Being recognized was never our priority. Helping anyone who experiences food insecurity at any time drives us to do more and to do better. We are so grateful for everyone who did, indeed recognize our hard work and dedication. It won’t change who we are or what we do, but it surely does put a smile on all of our faces! Thank you to our wonderful community!”

### These are the partner food and diaper pantries - -

Contact the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society for all your pet needs. ***

### Facts & Data - Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry You are welcome to stop by on a Monday morning during our distribution hours to see how it all works. We do amazing work. We volunteer our time. We feed people. It’s what we do every Monday, 52 weeks a year.

We are a local, non-profit food pantry. Our mission is to alleviate hunger and enhance the well-being of food insecure individuals and families in our community by providing nutritious food and support. The Pantry is dedicated to fostering an equitable and connected community through compassionate service, collaborative partnerships, and a commitment to dignity and respect.

- 100% volunteer-operated

- Entirely supported by individuals, grants, and partnerships with generous local businesses and organizations.

- Emmet County - 10% of the population lives below the poverty line

- 25% more are ALICE Households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). These households are most often ineligible for SNAP benefits but remain food insecure due to low wages.

- In 2024, the HARBOR SPRINGS COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY served 25% more people than the previous year. 2025 year to date we have seen an additional 14% increase.

- Food purchase costs have increased by 15% in 2025.

- Food distribution cost per family/individual has increased by 35% in 2025.

- The Pantry increased spending on fresh/perishable food from 22.8% of total expenses in 2024 to 39% in 2025.

With some generous foundation grants, last year we were able to offer milk and other dairy products weekly (including eggs, even when prices were through the roof), fresh produce throughout the winter, and a large variety of local produce this summer and fall. The Pantry is committed to continuing these offerings.

To donate: Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry PO Box 23 Harbor Springs, MI. 49740

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### Proud to have helped the Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry this Summer: Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry and KK’s Farms initiatives. Is this photograph below from the Farmers Market? No, it is the Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry (HSCFP) on Monday mornings when we are open to serve members of our community.*

Thanks to the HSCFP’s KK’s farm initiative, we are off and running, providing local fresh produce to our patrons.

The HSCFP is committed to offering fresh produce to our patrons, and our new partnership with KK’s Farm of Cross Village gives us the opportunity to provide locally grown produce during Michigan’s growing season.

KK is already providing early season radishes, beets, and lettuces, and will expand to include a larger variety as the season progresses. The partnership with KK’s farm has been generously funded through grants from:

$10,000 from the Petoskey Harbor Springs Community Foundation and their distribution of funds from: Birchwood Outreach Fund, the Sue Irish Charitable Fund, the Ann K. Irish Charitable Fund, and the Fresh Baby Building Healthy Communities Fund. $2,000 groundwork center for Building Resilient Communities Foundation of Southeast Michigan. $5,000 Jennifer and Terrence Adderley Fund of Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan. On behalf of the HSCFP’s volunteers and the families we serve, we thank these funders for their generous donations to our community

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“The HSC Food Pantry has had the foresight in recent years to partner with businesses beyond Manna Food Bank, including Harbor Market. This appears to be even more important going forward, as Food Banks and local farmers will feel the pinch as funding for supplemental food are faced with pauses. The consequences of this will trickle down to food pantry’s everywhere. *

*We cannot emphasize the potential devastating consequences these may have for vulnerable populations in Emmet County. The HSC Food Pantry is working diligently to obtain additional donor support to facilitate our mission of offering fresh food options.*

*Little did we know how challenging this would get.” If you are unsure where to send your food or funding donation for the Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry or want more information, don’t hesitate to call Julie Collie, Chair of HPCFP at 231-526-2017 ext. 143. Thank you all. *