Local charities pitch in to help families in need for Christmas

Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald

Santa Claus, presents and decorative lights and trees are all staples of the holiday season. For several community members in the Blue Water Area, another facet of the holiday season takes priority over the celebratory side of Christmas: charity.

Several organizations in Port Huron and surrounding communities put in overtime this holiday season to ensure there were options for those who may not otherwise be able to afford a Christmas dinner or gifts.

SOS Marysville Food Pantry

SOS Marysville Food Pantry is aiming to collect 10,000 cookies for Christmas dinners this year. They vary from store bought to homemade, from chocolate chip to oatmeal.
SOS Marysville Food Pantry is aiming to collect 10,000 cookies for Christmas dinners this year. They vary from store bought to homemade, from chocolate chip to oatmeal.

On Christmas morning, SOS Marysville Food Pantry will be delivering about 6,500 meals throughout St. Clair County.

Each year the food pantry holds a community Christmas dinner. It used to be in person, but during the COVID-19 pandemic the organization switched to meal deliveries.

Carmela Burns, director of the food pantry, said it has received 300 hams through donations and is working to collect more than 10,000 cookies to hand out as part of its Christmas meal. The pantry originally planned to give away 5,000 meals on Christmas, but increased its estimates after several families requested aid during its Thanksgiving event this year.

Volunteers with the SOS Marysville Food Pantry prepare meals they will deliver Christmas morning. From left to right: Lavonne Cloutier, Dana Westphal, Carmela Burns, Rose Westbrook and Shiann Gilbert.
Volunteers with the SOS Marysville Food Pantry prepare meals they will deliver Christmas morning. From left to right: Lavonne Cloutier, Dana Westphal, Carmela Burns, Rose Westbrook and Shiann Gilbert.

Anyone who does not have access to food on Christmas day can contact the food pantry as late as Christmas Eve to sign up to receive a meal, Burns said.

"It costs a lot of money to prepare the meals, but the community is coming together to make it happen," Burns said. "It's not much, but it's good to let people know someone cares about them on Christmas."

The SOS Marysville Food Pantry is open year-round and accessible to anyone in Marysville or neighboring communities, using a points system to give out food.

Those wishing to volunteer or request a meal can call the pantry at (810) 364-6333, or use its website at https://www.sosmarysville.org/.

Mid City Nutrition Program

St. Martin Lutheran Church hosts the Mid City Nutrition Program, a soup kitchen, in its basement year-round that provides anyone in St. Clair County with food. This year, it will have food available to take home on Saturday and Sunday, one of the last options available to anyone facing last-minute struggles with food for the holidays.

Carol Gonzales, kitchen manager for the church's soup kitchen, said it will be open from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday and from 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The soup kitchen will be closed Christmas day.

The Mid City Nutrition Program collects donations in the basement of the St. Martin Lutheran Church on Chestnut Street on Dec. 21, 2023.
The Mid City Nutrition Program collects donations in the basement of the St. Martin Lutheran Church on Chestnut Street on Dec. 21, 2023.

The soup kitchen serves about 96,000 meals a year, according to Executive Director Sarah Jones. They expect to serve between 250 and 300 meals a day during the holiday season.

"We actually see a bit of a slowdown during the holidays because there are other charities active," Jones said.

Those wishing to volunteer or donate can call the Mid City Nutrition Program at (810) 982-9261.

Port Huron Masonic Lodge

Each year the Port Huron Masonic Lodge raises money to help 12 families in St. Clair County by providing dinner to families who have "fallen through the cracks."

Ted Davis, chaplain for the lodge, said the lodge members learn about families through schools, other charities and local churches and provide full Christmas dinners for 12 of those families.

"We've been doing this a few years before COVID," Davis said. "It became a bit more difficult during the pandemic."

On Saturday the lodge members will visit families from Port Huron to Marine City to drop off the food between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Davis said the organization was able to use extra funds this year to provide each family with a gift card and toys as gifts for younger children. The food is provided by Wally's Supermarket in Marysville.

The donations for 2023 are already prepared, but those wishing to donate in the future can contact Davis at (586) 726-5613.

Port Huron Salvation Army

Through out the year, the Salvation army provides about 18,616 pounds of food to residents of St. Clair County.

Aaron Ortman, major for the Salvation Army's Port Huron Chapter, said no events are planned for Christmas Day, but over the weekend the organization will deliver hundreds of meals to residents around St. Clair County. The charity also hosted its annual Angel Tree event Thursday, giving out about 1,200 free gifts to local children.

Ortman previously said the charity has seen a decline in Christmas donations this year, which go to fund programs beyond the holidays. Those wishing to donate can do so at https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/porthuron/ or at its office on 2000 Court St., Port Huron.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Local charities pitch in to help families in need for Christmas

Advertisement