Photo by Vivian Edersheim- Janice Crawford greets clients as they come into Legacy Community Outreach Food Bank in South Bend. The food bank is open each Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p..m. at 227 Water Street, near Bobbie's Beauty Bar and South Bend Bap
On a quiet side road in South Bend, behind Bobbie's Beauty Bar and across from the South Bend Baptist Church, is the Legacy Community Outreach Food Bank.
Although the food bank has been in operation since 2008, many people in the area are not aware of its existence. Laura Michaelson, Legacy's president, has indicated she would like the food bank to be more visible in the community.
Legacy has been at its current location at 227 Water Street since 2009. Its beginnings can be traced back to Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Raymond.
"We had a food bank at Our Saviors for many years," Michaelson recalled. "During the '80s we started a soup kitchen, which once a week provided a place people could get a free meal and offer support to each other. This was during the time that Weyerhaeuser was closed. Our goal then, as it is now, was to provide food to those who needed a little extra help to feed their family."
When Our Saviors Church closed, those involved in the food bank wanted to relocate it to the First Lutheran Church in South Bend. Since the goal was for the food bank to be open to everyone, a 501(3)(c) corporation was formed.
Legacy is open each Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and currently serves around 250 local families, totaling about 800 individuals.
"It works out pretty evenly among senior citizens, working age folks, and children," reported Michaelson. "Families can come once a month and choose from items on the shelves. These items can provide for several meals."
Clients are required by the food bank's primary suppliers, Food Life Line, Northwest Harvest, and Coastal Harvest, to fill out a short information card. Legacy receives a monthly delivery from Northwest Harvest and weekly deliveries from Food Life Line. Although there is a checklist of items that can be requested from Food Life Line, there is no guarantee of what type or how much food will be delivered each week.
Even with the food from these two agencies, there are still items that Legacy must purchase each month. These items include peanut butter, soups, chili, cereal, mac and cheese, canned vegetables and fruit, Bisquick and mayonnaise. They are also the best items to donate to the food bank. Legacy purchases these items locally at the Pioneer Grocery.
"Legacy is very fortunate to have had the support of Pioneer Grocery for many years. They have helped fill the shelves, with everything from bakery items to meat items, to give our clients a variety to choose from. The new Thriftway Grocery has been providing bread and bakery items as well. The staff of the Legacy Food Bank is extremely grateful to have such generous support from our community markets," Michaelson stated.
The members of the community also play a very large role in supporting the food bank. The South Bend and Valley schools donated an amazing amount of food and money this year, Grace Community Church held a Stuff the Bus event at Pioneer, and the L.V. and Stella Raymond Foundation gives an annual donation. Many of the other businesses and churches in the community hold food drives and/or make donations throughout the year. Legacy could not exist without the generosity of those in our community.
The public can help too by donating whatever they can spare. Even a few cans a month will help stock the shelves. Of course, financial donations are always appreciated. These can be sent to Legacy at Post Office Box 1388 in South Bend.
Whenever possible, Legacy tries to supply non-food items to its clients. In the past, this has included coats, caps, scarves, mittens and household necessities such as toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning supplies, hand soap, etc. Providing food, though, remains the primary goal.
"Our greatest challenge right now is to get and keep enough food on the shelves for the clients we serve," Michaelson said. "We go through over 4,000 items each month. Although we are open till 5:30 so the working poor can get food, sometimes there is little on the shelves when they come. A few times we have had to turn people away because we were out of food."
"While it can be challenging to fill the shelves," Michaelson continued, "our greatest joy is seeing people go out with enough food to get them through a few more days. We never started out thinking we could provide all the food a family needs in one month, but we try to see to it that the food we give out is healthy and nutritious."
The food bank could not function without the dedication of 15 very caring volunteers, who provide invaluable service by traveling to Elma to pick up the weekly delivery from Food Life Line and by helping sort, stack and distribute the items. These volunteers provide a very warm and welcoming atmosphere for the clients of the food bank, making sure everyone feels welcome during their visit.
"While it is not a part of any church or the Ministerial Association," Michaelson explained, "Legacy is faith-based. This sounds funny to some people, but it doesn't sound funny to me. I tell people when they come in, I felt so strongly about doing this. I said, if the Lord wants us to continue, He's going to provide. If you do the work He wants you to do, He'll take care of you. That's how I feel about it."
There's comfort in that commitment.
Those in need of additional information in regard to the food bank can contact Michaelson by email at michaelson06@hotmail.com.