DETROIT (WXYZ) — For people struggling to put food on the table, help is now showing up right at their front door.
Metro Food Rescue is bringing community pantries into local apartment complexes, making sure neighbors have the fresh food they need right where they live.
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It's a simple idea with a powerful impact — putting healthy food in places where barriers like transportation, time and cost often stand in the way.
"Why don't we just make this easier and put the food where there's likely need?" Chad Techner said.
Techner is the founder and CEO of Metro Food Rescue. The organization just launched this pilot program, installing community pantries inside apartment complexes across the city, beginning with a focus on seniors.
The goal is to make access to fresh food as easy as walking down the hall.
"I'm a diabetic, so it's gonna change a whole lot for me with the healthy stuff in here," Cynthia Howard said.
Howard is a resident who uses the pantry. For residents like her, this isn't just convenience — it's a lifeline.
"Sometimes, you have to pay somebody 15 or 20 dollars just to take you to the store. Now, I ain't got to do that because I can come right here and shop," Howard said.
For many seniors like Carolyn Gibson, just getting to the grocery store can be a challenge.
"It truly is a blessing. A lot of us can't get out the way we would like to, you know, going grocery shopping," Gibson said.
This pilot program is funded by a two-year grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. It gives Metro Food Rescue the chance to test the model and prove just how big the need is.
"If you're working, most food pantries are only working or open during the day. And so a concept like this could give people access like after work when it's more convenient for them," Techner said.
The pantries provide access on residents' schedules, right where they live and at no cost to those they're serving.
"A lot of people, they came and got and gone, but you know they're gonna be back because this is a beautiful thing," Gibson said.
The impact is already spreading — one neighbor at a time.
"Well, I thank God for all of this. It's just beautiful and wonderful. I mean, it's just gonna help so many people. It's gonna help, and me included of course," Gibson said.
Techner hopes this pilot program is just the beginning.
"This is something that should be in lots of these buildings and lots of these senior facilities and all over the city where people already are," Techner said.
Sometimes, the difference comes from simply meeting people where they are.
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