Benzie Area Christian Neighbors

The food pantry the Neighbors can visit twice per month to shop for supplemental food and personal care items in a market style setting. Shopping points are awarded based on household size. This program serves 2,608 household members. The clothing center through donations received from the community, gently used in-season clothing, linens, and housewares are offered free to Neighbors in a boutique setting, once per week. This program serves 2,389 household members.

Provide utility assistance for families in need and can assist with $300 per household per year with past due or shut-off utility bills after seeking help from Michigan department health and human services. This program served 765 household members.

Blessings in a backpack is a neighbor-helping-neighbor program that is designed to help meet the nutritional needs of school-age children. Each week, volunteers, in cooperation with school officials, distribute backpacks filled with enough non-perishable food for the weekend (six meals) to "hunger insecure" school-age children. These students participate in the government subsidized free or reduced fee lunch program. The goal of blessings in a backpack program is to keep these children from going hungry on the weekends and remove barriers to academic success.

All other accomplishments including, education, water, telephone, medical and transportation expenses for families in need.