New Option Available for Residents Needing Food Assistance

Plymouth and Northville residents who find themselves struggling to make ends meet each month now have another option when it comes to food assistance.

The has joined forces with the Wayne County Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to bring the program to the two communities.

TEFAP is a supplemental food program for all income-eligible Wayne County residents. Food distribution takes place once a month, and with the new program, eligible Plymouth and Northville residents can pick up food at on Haggerty Road in Plymouth.

"We were looking at the list of communities that participated in the program, and Plymouth and Northville just weren't there," said Marie Morrow, president of the local United Way, which serves the two communities.

She said she has noticed more need in the communities in recent years.

"We've heard from the that they have noticed an , and we've been approached by other organizations for grants for food-related programs," Morrow said.

She said it was a logical step to bring the program to Plymouth and Northville, and she started doing research by looking at how the program was run in neighboring Canton.

"We hope that this will help struggling families fill the food gap from month to month," Morrow said.

Distributions will be the third Thursday of each month 10 a.m.-noon at St. Kenneth, with the first distribution scheduled for March 17.

All recipients must be pre-registered to become certified for eligibility (meeting both income and residency requirements) before being able to receive food on distribution days.

Recipients who are not on any governmental program (Food Stamps, ADC and General Assistance) will need to provide documentation such as birth certificates or Social Security cards, proof of income and residence and proof of the number of household members. Bridge Card holders will automatically be qualified to participate but must pre-register.

"We need to know how many people will be coming each month so we can order the food," Morrow said. The food is provided by the Wayne County Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For more information and registration, contact the Plymouth Community United Way office at (734) 453-6879 ext. 2.