When the need to feed is great, it’s better to buy meat by the hoof, not the pound.
To do that a big freezer is needed. Or better yet, two of them.
Leelanau Christian Neighbors has begun another expansion project as it grows to meet the needs of community members struggling to keep food on their tables.
“We’re adding another walkin freezer and storage space,” said Mary Stanton, executive director of LCN, as she watched a skid steer roll up sod in preparation for a small addition to the nonprofit’s existing main building. “We buy a steer and three hogs every other month, and with the growing need we need more space.”
The $90,000 project is made possible by individual donations and a $60,000 grant from the W.J. Larsen Family Foundation. Biggs Construction is the general contractor; Grand Traverse Refrigeration is providing the freezer.
Stanton wishes business at LCN wasn’t growing, but it is. A year ago LCN provided food to about 130 families every Monday; that demand rose to 150 families this summer with no sign of letting up.
“It seems our numbers are pretty steady every week. We’ll have a spike and then a low, but on average it’s pretty much the same,” Stanton said.
Part of food packages given away includes a healthy portion of high-quality protein. With just one walk-in freezer, finding space to store boxes of meat after butchering could mean skipping out on sale prices for frozen veggies.
Hence, the need to build a 9-foot addition to the rear of the LCN building to house a freezer and provide storage.
LCN in 2017 purchased the former One-Up-Web building off M-204 just east of the Leelanau Enterprise building. It was about 6,000 square feet at the time, but has been expanded to 7,000 to 8,000 square feet as more space was needed. In addition, LCN built and runs a resale shop named Samaritan’s Closet at the rear of the property.
LCN fills big needs in Leelanau County beyond help provided through its food pantry and resale store. Through the work of 200 volunteers, it also operates a neighborhood assistance ministry, a blessings in a backpack program, baby pantry and an affordable housing fund. It’s been around since 1987.
The second freezer will be a welcome addition, Stanton said.
“Our walk-in gets so full that it’s hard to find anything. Like today we bought Bulldog Blueberries. They’re from Leelanau County and they sell them to us wholesale. We’ll freeze what’s left over,” Stanton said.
