Lighthouse is expanding its longtime partnership with Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church and relocating our Clarkston food pantry to the church, located at 6805 Bluegrass Drive. The church is three miles, or a five-minute drive, from the current pantry location.

The move will deepen Lighthouse’s partnership with Calvary, which began decades ago when members of the congregation first started donating and volunteering with Lighthouse.

In 2020, Calvary and its volunteers got involved with large-scale food distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the church has distributed about 1.75 million pounds of emergency food and well over 50,000 food boxes to more than 200 families each month. The boxes are packed and provided by Lighthouse and supplemented with additional food donations and fresh produce when available. The Clarkston pantry has also served about 200 people per month.

The last day of services at our current Clarkston location will be Friday, October 25. Clients who have previously visited our current Clarkston food pantry location are welcome to visit any of our food pantry locations.

• Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church: 6805 Bluegrass Drive, Wednesdays for drive-up or curbside pickup from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
• Lighthouse’s Pontiac Headquarters: 46156 Woodward Avenue, Pontiac (Door D), Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park near Door D and call (248) 920-6000 x2225 to place your order.
• St. David’s Episcopal Church: 16200 W. 12 Mile Road, Southfield, Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to noon.

“Our expanded partnership with Calvary will enable us to maximize emergency food resources while continuing to meet the community’s needs,” said Jenny Poma, Lighthouse COO. “Our mission is to work in partnership with the communities we serve. Deepening this relationship is a perfect example of how we can accomplish more meaningful work through collaboration with community-based partners. Calvary’s team and volunteers are dedicated and trusted partners with an engaged membership and a broad reach. We are grateful for their ongoing commitment and support.”

“We are equally grateful to the generous donors in the Clarkston community who have continued to donate food and support our work for so many years,” Poma added. “We look forward to continuing to provide those donated items directly to the families and individuals who need them most.”

As part of the partnership, a member of the Lighthouse team will be on-site at Calvary to help provide additional resources to families in need.

“At Calvary we talk a lot about ‘living into what matters,’ and our longtime relationship with Lighthouse to help address food insecurity and other community needs most certainly matters. We are glad to grow this partnership in a significant way,” said Calvary’s Senior Pastor Jonathan Heierman. “This effort helps us fulfill our mission to meet people where they are and help them thrive. We are committed to being able to use our facility not just for us, but for our entire community. This is really an answer to prayers.”

Those wishing to donate food can drop off donations at Calvary on weekdays during normal business hours or at Lighthouse’s Pontiac headquarters, 46156 Woodward Avenue, Pontiac. To learn more, visit lighthousemi.org or calvary-lutheran.org.