FAQs

There is no typical face to hunger. Over 36,000 individuals, including nearly 8,700 local children as well as seniors, struggle with food insecurity each day in Kalamazoo County.

Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Through our hunger-relief programs, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes serves approximately 850 people per day. Food is provided through a network of pantry locations, school-based programs, county-wide home delivery, mobile food distributions, and targeted outreach efforts.

Forty percent (40%) of the people served by our Grocery Pantry Program are under the age of 18.

The majority of our donations come from individuals, corporations, and faith-based groups as well as grant-funding from local foundations. Less than 3% of resources come from government funding.

At the current time, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes purchases approximately 50% of its food from the wholesale market. Forty percent (40%) of food comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The remaining 10% comes from farm donations, food drives, and grocery store food rescue.

Anyone in Kalamazoo County can receive food twice per calendar month. Need is self-declared; no proof of income or ID is required. To schedule an appointment or delivery, contact Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes's Need Food Line at 269-343-3663 or email info@kzoolf.org.

In 2024, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes served 194,170 food orders to over 38,738 unduplicated individuals.

Many factors impact food insecurity including jobs, underemployment, education, housing, childcare, and rising healthcare costs. An improving economy does not always equate to higher wages or a lack of hardship.

We believe that the overwhelming majority of people requesting and receiving Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes services need them. Since clients can call directly for food assistance on a monthly basis, or utilize our Mobile Food Initiative, there is little benefit to "cheating". At the end of the day, alleviating hunger in our community is our primary concern and where we spend our energy. In Kalamazoo County, over 26% of families earn too much to qualify for governmental assistance, but do not earn enough to meet the basic cost of living for the area. Our practices allow us to support those who don't qualify for SNAP benefits and other people who aren't consistently able to put nutritious food on the table.

SNAP benefits are income based and dependent upon the number of people per household. While SNAP benefits are a great help to someone in need, they often don't cover the amount of food a household needs each month.

Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes makes a concerted effort to provide fresh food to clients on a daily basis either through donations from farmers and grocery stores or by purchasing it at wholesale prices. We also stress the importance of low sugar and low sodium food donations. Our top distributed food items in 2024 were proteins and fresh produce!

The South Michigan Food Bank is a member of the national charitable network Feeding America and procures and distributes food to agencies in their eight county service area, including Kalamazoo County. Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes is an independent food bank and pantry network providing direct, tailored services to individuals, families, schools, and non-profit organizations in Kalamazoo County. We meet quarterly with the South Michigan Food Bank to discuss programming and avoid duplication of services.

No, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes is not a religious organization. Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes is registered as an independent non-profit organization. While our name originates from Judeo-Christian roots, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes is a secular organization without formal ties to any one denomination or faith. Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes was founded by members of several downtown churches, and the name was chosen by those who first initiated our organized community response to local hunger. However, from the very beginning, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes has believed that food is a basic human right. Nothing should stand between hungry people and food, including their religious beliefs.

No, we are an independent, non-profit, governed by a Board of Directors.

No, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes is not funded by the United Way of South Central Michigan. However, if a donor designates their United Way gift to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, it will be passed along to us.

With our large purchasing power, we are able to stretch every donated dollar into three meals for a person facing food insecurity. However, food donations provide our pantries with the important variety we need to meet the food requirements clients may need due to a medical condition, allergies, or religious beliefs.

Only 9% of your donation goes to administrative costs. The other 91% goes directly to helping people-in-need.

With $1 we can provide a person struggling with hunger enough nutritionally-balanced food for three full meals.

We work on advocacy initiatives, policies, and programs that promote food security at the local, state, and national level. We also participate in Kalamazoo County's Hunger-Free Coalition, a group of community advocates working together to identify and spearhead projects to end local hunger.

Through over 110 distribution sites, referral partners, and community members, we collaborate with organizations that share our vision for a hunger-free community.

Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes clients have access to fresh and non-perishable food to meets dietary and cultural needs. Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes also strives to provide food to clients in multiple ways (at our pantries, through Mobile Food Initiatives, via home delivery, and more) to try to meet people where they're at rather than having a one-size-fits-all model.

Monetary donations can be made online at kzoolf.org and checks can be mailed to 901 Portage St, Kalamazoo, MI 49001. To learn how to creatively raise funds for Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, contact our Associate Director, Greta Faworski, at greta@kzoolf.org, or at 269-488-2617 ext. 208. Food donations can be dropped off at our Portage Street location Mon.-Fri. from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Join us on Facebook or Instagram, sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter at kzoolf.org, and check our website frequently for news and information.

Our volunteers are the heart and soul of the organization and can pitch in once or become one of our regulars. Those interested in volunteering can contact Jillian, our Volunteer Coordinator, at jillian@kzoolf.org.

Our biggest volunteer need is individuals who are willing to help on a recurring basis. To meet the needs of the community, we need reliable volunteer commitment! We have some volunteers who prefer set, regular schedules, and others who pick up shifts each month as their schedule allows. Most of our individual opportunities require at least a 3-month commitment.

We currently need individuals during our business hours Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm. On Monday and Wednesday. we have later opportunities until 5:30pm, but those shifts are limited and tend to fill quickly. Currently, we do not have regular weekend opportunities. However, if you'd like to be notified of the special events that take place outside of our business hours, let us know!

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate walk-ins. All volunteers must be scheduled as they are assigned to specific projects and program areas. This helps us stay organized and serve the community efficiently!

The minimum age for volunteering is 12 years old. Youth aged 12-15 must volunteer with a parent or guardian over the age of 21. Youth aged 16-17 may volunteer independently with a signed waiver. There are a few activities where volunteers need to be 18 years or older including, but not limited to, Call Center, Home Deliveries, and our evening Pantry shifts. For youth groups we ask that the chaperone ratios are 1:4 for ages 12-15 and 1:8 for ages 15-17. Chaperones must be 21 years or older.

While we do accept court compelled community service hours, these spots are very limited and vary seasonally. Please note that we can only accept individuals who need to complete 25 hours or less. There are some restrictions regarding what offenses are accepted, and hours must be mandated through a Kalamazoo County court. The community service program is separate from our volunteer program. Please do not register as a volunteer as those hours will not count toward your mandated community service. Contact us to inquire about open court-compelled opportunities or to be added to our waitlist.

Many of our volunteer opportunities are fairly active positions which will require standing, walking, lifting up to 30 lbs, bending, twisting, and repeated movements. If you would like to learn about a less active role, contact us to learn more about the Front Desk Attendant, Call Center Agent, or Mailing Volunteer positions!

Outside of our main location on Portage Street and our other satellite location stationed on the Northside, our pantries and distribution sites are hosted at churches and community centers around town. These sites allow us to reach more of our neighbors in need. However, these sites recruit and coordinate their own volunteers directly. If you'd like to be connected with one of these partner sites, please contact us so we can get you the right information!

Yes! We love to host groups! We can accommodate groups of 3-10 people. The available project schedule depends on the group size. Activities include repacking produce, sorting donations, and assembling non-perishable boxes of food. Typically, we schedule groups 10-12 weeks in advance. Most groups activities are scheduled during our normal hours of operation. With enough notice, we may be able to host a late or weekend event! Contact us today to schedule your group.

We are currently purchasing about 70% of the food we distribute. Donations of funds and food are greatly appreciated and needed.