Perry Food Bank reports rising demand, seeks new refrigerator and funding

Sharon Wood, president of the Perry Food Bank, told the Perry City Council on Feb. 19 that the pantry served approximately 338 clients in 2025 and has seen households grow in size, with some families of up to nine people living together.

Wood said Thursday distributions have seen increased demand and that many clients rely on the food bank even while working full time. She described recent donations and partnerships that helped meet needs last year, including 300 pounds of venison from Apex Food Processing in Owosso, ongoing donations from MJ Farms of Bancroft, 30 cases of Jiffy mix from Jiffy in Chelsea, a PS Mart drive that supplied pop tarts, knitted hats and mittens from volunteers at City Hall, regular baked-goods donations from Cupcakes and Kisses, and a longstanding partnership with the VFW that supplied gift cards and free turkeys for holiday distributions.

Wood said the food bank joined the Shiawassee Emergency Food Program to enable emergency food box distribution via the police department if a household faces a disaster. She told the council the pantry is pursuing grants and fundraising to replace an aging refrigerator and is seeking to establish a relationship with Delta Dental to obtain toothbrushes and toothpaste for distribution.

The presentation highlighted the food bank’s increasing role as a supplement to household food budgets and flagged the need for storage equipment and steady funding to maintain distributions. The council did not take formal action on funding during the meeting; Wood said she will pursue grants and fundraising opportunities.

The food bank’s board members listed at the meeting included Vice President Deb Meane, Secretary Crystal Patrick and Treasurer Stacy Smith.