What We Do

The Jackson Community Food Pantry (JCFP) is a 501c3 non-profit that provides food to those in the Jackson Michigan area, that have been impacted by financial problems as a result of: unemployment (lay-offs & downsizing), divorce, disability, health, domestic violence, homelessness, disaster, aging and rising cost of living. Distribute goods to those who find themselves in a time of special need and crisis. Our mission incorporates a respect for the dignity of each person we serve and seeks to collaborate with those who share our mission.

The pantry is open every Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 701 Greenwood. A picture ID is required.

Ways to Help

Volunteer Overview

Volunteers are the backbone of Jackson Community Food Pantry, participating in every aspect of our operations. In order to serve 600+ hungry families each month, the Food Pantry relies on volunteers to unload food deliveries, serve clients, and pickup a weekly donation of salvaged food from Meijer, Walmart, and Sam's Club.

Opportunities

  • Serving clients
  • Unloading food deliveries
  • Preparing the food pantry for weekly food distributions
  • Hosting a food drive with your school, organization, church, etc.

Events

2023 Charity Golf Tournament

Play golf and support the Jackson Community Food Pantry at the Annual Golf Tournament, by CertainTeed. Click here to sign up and learn more.

Annual Spring Tea

Many thanks to the wonderful group of women, headed by Karen Hawley, who put on the Spring Tea at Baker College. They spent many hours on this fundraiser and it paid off - not only was the event beautiful eye candy and a lot of fun, but it raised over $10,000 for our pantry. That will pay for 2 months of food for the Jackson community. That’s quite a blessing!

About Us

Mission Statement

The Jackson Community Food Pantry makes food accessible to people without judgment and without barriers, building a sense of community between our participants, our volunteers and our supporters.

Our History

2008

The Francis Street Food Pantry was created on June 18, 2008. It opened in the American Red Cross building located on Francis Street in Vandercook Lake south of Jackson. The space was donated to the pantry by the Red Cross at no cost.

2011

The management of the pantry had been looking for a different location to house the pantry since the beginning due to the space limitations at the Red Cross. In 2011 the search began and many different locations were considered.

A building was located and purchased that accommodates the needed space requirements and is located in the middle of the Partnership Park Neighborhood Association. This allowed the pantry to better meet the needs of the Jackson community. The location is more accessible to those with the greatest need. A 501(C)(3) was created under the name of the Jackson Community Food Pantry. The Francis Street Food Pantry moved from the American Red Cross building to this location on October 19, 2011 and was reconstituted as the Jackson Community Food Pantry.

Immediately the new JCFP showed a 48.8% increase in the number of households and a 61.5% increase in the average number of people served.

In 2020, the pandemic caused changes to how we do business. To protect our volunteers and clients, we served clients in a drive-through manner rather than having them come inside the building. This proved so popular with our clients that the decision was made to continue this style of distribution.

We couldn't keep our doors open without the dedication of our many wonderful volunteers. Our Jackson community has been very generous to us with donations. We intend to keep the doors open to server our community for many years.

Statistics

We serve approximatley 150 families per week. The following statistics show a breakdown of who is helped by our pantry.

Age 0-17 Age 17-54 Age 55+ Males Females
26% 51% 23% 55% 45%