A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Traverse City, Michigan distribute groceries to individuals or families who are in some form of an emergency situation.
There are also meals, free bags of food, personal toiletries and household goods for low to moderate income families from food pantries near you.
Distribution centers can include churches, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and many other local charities as well as non-profits.
Salvation Army Food Pantry
The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity.
The Salvation Army operates free local food banks around Traverse City, Michigan from almost all of their local social service centers. The charity organization is involved in feeding millions of families each year, with a large percentage of those assisted being children as well as the elderly.
We have located 2 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Michigan which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - Traverse City, MI Corps
Services provided :
- Aid to Families
- Camping Activities
- Casework Services
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Community Recreation & Education Programs
- Day Camp Activities
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Food & Nutrition
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Latchkey Programs
- Military Personnel Assistance
- Music & Arts Programs
- Nutrition Programs
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Senior Citizen Clubs
- Store
- Visitation Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Children's / Teen
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (231) 946-4644 to book your appointment.
Address :
1239 Barlow St,
Traverse City, MI 49686.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Grand Traverse
The Salvation Army of Traverse City - Sal’s Kitchen and Community Food Shelf and Food Pantry
The Salvation Army, Traverse City provides food, nutrition and fellowship to area individuals and families experiencing hunger through the Community Meal program, the Community Shelf and Food Pantry at the Community Center at 1239 Barlow Street. Sal’s Kitchen is located at our Community Center and provides healthy, nutritious meals at lunch every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Everyone is welcome. The Food Pantry provides emergency food baskets Monday and Friday from 9:30-11:30 am and 1:00– 3:00 pm. Our Community Shelf is accessible in our lobby Monday - Friday for all in need. Food is based on available food donations.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (231) 946-4644 to book your appointment.
Address :
1239 Barlow St,
Traverse City, MI 49684.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Traverse City
Help Residents of Counties:
- Grand Traverse
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Traverse City, Michigan have food pantries for those in their neighborhoods who are in need of food items.
Churches operate with food donations gathered and deliver to the food pantry nearest you by individuals using food drives.
Some churches also deliver food items to elderly who are unable to drive to a nearest community food pantry. Please contact your local church directly.
We have located 0 Church Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Michigan which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Catholic Charities Food Pantry
Resources provided by the Catholic Charity organization focus on addressing food, holiday, and immigration needs.
Families of all religions, backgrounds, and cultures can contact Catholic Charity centers for help.
Catholic Charities in Traverse City, Michigan are open to families on a first-come, first-serve basis. The centers operate during normal business hours, and provide walk-ins with groceries, food boxes, and items to prepare a meal.
The food pantries are like grocery stores, allow clients the ability to choose the items they need from the groceries that are available on site.
First-time clients of the food pantry will need to apply, and this is done from a one-page application. An applicant will need to provide basic household member as well as demographic information.
We have located 1 Catholic Charities Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Michigan which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Patrick Catholic Church Food Pantry
St. Patrick operates an all-volunteer pantry service for the community, distributing food on Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 10am and noon. During each visit, volunteers distribute two or three bags of groceries, which contain several meals. The pantry offers perishable and non-perishable food, which is either donated or purchased using donated funds and grant dollars. The pantry is blessed to be the recipient of much community support. The pantry participates with the Fresh Food Partnership, Food Rescue, the Emergency Food and Shelter Board, the Feeding America food bank network, and the Northwest Michigan Food Coalition to harness as many resources as possible to ensure all clients can find assistance when they visit St. Patrick Catholic Church.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (231) 943-4633 to book your appointment.
Address :
630 W Silver Lake Rd S,
Traverse City, MI 49685.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Traverse City
Help Residents of Counties:
- Grand Traverse
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Helping Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) food pantry operated around Traverse City, Michigan almost entirely by volunteers.
It provides a 7-day supply of groceries and personal care items free of charge to people in need, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Helping Hands is supported entirely by donations from individuals, service organizations, churches, and businesses in our community.
Find a local helping hands food pantry open near you.
We have located 0 Helping Hand Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Michigan which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Mobile Food Pantry
The mobile food pantry program distributes food directly to families in communities around Traverse City, Michigan in need during large-scale one-day distributions.
A typical mobile pantry serves 200-250 families distributing up to 10,000 pounds of food. This past year over 6.6 million pounds were distributed through this program.
Mobile food pantries usually visit churches, community centers, schools, shopping centers, and other convenient locations. They usually go to areas where there aren't grocery stores or other food pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2024
Unlike traditional food pantries where you go to them, mobile pantry trucks come to you. Food banks sometimes have an online mobile food pantry schedule.
Mobile food pantry scheduled to visit a community once a week or once a month. There may be last-minute cancellations or changes so recheck the mobile food pantry schedule before you plan to go.
We have located 0 Mobile Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Model.Content.StateName which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry operates around Traverse City, Michigan much like a grocery store where people in need can choose their own food. It helps to enhance their personal dignity and reduces waste due to unwanted food items.
It also helps them to be proactive in addressing any underlying health issues. This is our model of choice for food pantries in the future.
We have located 0 St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Michigan which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Food Pantry Delivery Program
Food Pantry Delivery Program delivers food and other products once a month at twenty points in around Traverse City, Michigan area. This makes it just a bit easier for some of more remote rural agencies to receive their products. About 70% of members take advantage of the Food Pantry Delivery Program.
Food Pantry
We have located 2 Food Pantry locations in Traverse City, Michigan which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
TC Trinity Food Pantry
The Food Pantry is open to the needy Thursdays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (231) 946-2720 to book your appointment.
Address :
1003 S Maple St,
Traverse City, MI 49684.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Traverse City
Help Residents of Counties:
- Grand Traverse
Acme Christian Thrift Store & Food Pantry
ACTS Pantry is a member of the Northwest Food Coalition and participates with Food Rescue, and Feeding America. Acme Christian Thrift Store & Food Pantry Hours: Wednesday 2 to 5 p.m. | Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Emergency requests at times other than the above only by referral from another agency. Guidelines to follow while visiting or assisting in the ACTS Food Pantry. Numbers available ½ hour prior to pantry time; Visitors MUST periodically update their information; Visits to the Pantry will be limited to two times in a calendar month; Visitors MUST follow ALL posted or spoken rules, limits and guidelines; Visitors will be made aware of “daily limits."; Visitors may choose one meat and one bread; Visitors that may be single and sharing a house or apartment with other singles will be considered as a family and therefore eligible for one share from the Pantry. Income of all adults in the house or apartment must be reported. To qualify for food pantry assistance, the client family must meet Federal Poverty Guidelines as published annually. The guidelines can be found by searching the internet (CMCS/CAHPG/DEEO). A.C.T.S. Pantry uses 200% of poverty as a qualifier. Eligibility is based on the financial situation of ALL members in a household. Everyone who lives together and purchases and prepares food together is considered a member of the same household. Verification of income and information regarding housing arrangements and bridge card status is also considered.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (231) 938-2990 to book your appointment.
Address :
8925 M72 E,
Williamsburg, MI 49690.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Williamsburg
Help Residents of Counties:
- Grand Traverse
Drive-thru Food Pantries
Since the start of the coronavirus, drive-thru food pantries have become the safest, most efficient way to provide food to our struggling neighbors.
Who can visit a drive-thru pantry?
Drive-thru pantries are open for anyone who needs help getting food. There are no eligibility criteria. Visitors do not need to provide any identification or income statements.
Only two piece of information is asked
- You Zipcode, and
- Number of people in their family.
You dont need to take appointment. Drive-thru pantries are first-come, first served so plan to arrive early.
How do drive-thru pantries actually work?
There are lot of volunteers help at Drive-thru food pantries. While not all drive-thru pantries operate in the same way, here�s how most work:
Staff and volunteers direct visitors to the parking area.
Visitors pull up to the pantry in their car and are usually guided into a clearly marked queue. As people move through the pantry, staff will continue to move the cars forward to get everyone through as quickly and safely as possible.
Checkin.
You are required to fill some information for Pantry's recording keeping.
Food is loaded into the cars.
Pre-packed bags of food, usually full of shelf-stable items like pasta, canned fruit and peanut butter, as well as fresh produce and meats are loaded by volunteers into the trunk of the car.
Pet Food Pantry
One in four pet owners who give up their pets to a shelter say it is because they cannot afford to care for them. Pet Food Pantries are designed to fill the void in the nation�s current assistance programs that exclude the purchase of food and supplies for family pets.
The Pet Food Pantry provides free pet food, for 3 months or less, to pet owners who cannot afford to feed their pets in Traverse City, Michigan
Who are eligible for Pet Food Pantry
Pet Food Pantry helps people who are:
- All ages, races and marital status
- Unemployed or underemployed
- Retired, living on social security or other limited income
- Physically or mentally disabled
- Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Many food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
It's just your photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women and Infant Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Specifically, food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to food pantry?
At the majority of food pantries, eligibility is based on self-attested need. You do not need to have a referral, and income is not a factor to receive food.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry provides three-day food packages to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food Banks acquire large donations of edible but unmarketable food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Then they provide this food to family in a need.