All income-eligible residents of Allen Park, Brownstown Township, Dearborn Heights, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, and Woodhaven, plus active members of all partner churches and agencies, are eligible to enroll at Fish & Loaves Community Pantry for free food assistance. Visits to the pantry are by appointment only.
If you're not eligible, see below for other food programs.
What do I need to enroll?
Proof of residency in one of the seven communities our pantry serves. Picture I.D. is required, either a current driver’s license or State of Michigan I.D. card, plus a recent piece of mail with your present household address.
Proof of the number of adults and children presently in your household. For adults a copy of a current driver’s license or State of Michigan I.D. card plus a piece of mail for each adult is required; for each child, a copy of their birth certificate or medical card is required.
Proof of household income for the previous month. Your most recent income tax return and/or monthly pay stub for yourself and other adult members of your household. Also include any payments for unemployment, social security, bridge card, child support, retirement pension and worker's comp.
How do I schedule an appointment?
Once you are enrolled as a client, appointments can be made in-person or over the phone at 734-442-0031. Appointments are scheduled on an every other month basis.
Cancelling and Rescheduling Appointments If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, please notify Fish & Loaves as soon as possible. If you do not cancel a pantry appointment and fail to show up at your scheduled time, your next appointment is subject to the pantry's availability.
Mutual Courtesy and Respect
All of our Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry volunteers are committed to providing service with courtesy and respect. We ask you to be courteous and respectful as well to pantry volunteers and fellow pantry clients.
Safety First
Fish & Loaves is committed to maintaining a safe, attractive environment for clients and volunteers. When shopping at Fish & Loaves, please do not do anything that may harm yourself or others. If you need help reaching for any shelved items or transporting groceries to your car, our volunteers are available to assist you. Minor children must be accompanied by their parents at all times, whether inside the pantry or outside in the parking lot.
Other Food Programs
Fresh market
Our Fresh Market is held each Saturday at Fish & Loaves from 9am-12pm. This program is open to anyone, there are no residency or income requirements. We provide 20-25lbs of dairy and assorted produce.
Please note: This program is on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last.
We are closed the Saturday of holiday weekends, and in cases of extreme inclement weather. Please follow our Facebook page for updated closure information. Fish & Loaves | Facebook
Volunteers are needed! Click the button below to see available shifts.
Where is Fresh Market located? Fresh Market is held each Saturday at: Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry 25670 Northline Road, Taylor, MI 48180 From: 9am-12pm
Who is eligible? Anyone – there are no residency or income requirements.
What information do we collect from our neighbors who come for food? If this is the first time that they are coming to the Fresh Market and they currently do not come to Fish & Loaves, we collect their Name, DOB, address, zip code, and phone number. During all subsequent visits, only their name and phone number are collected. We will still provide food if the customer declines the request for information.
Why do we need this information? The information is needed to create a profile in Link2Feed. The information that we collect helps us plan for the amount of food needed for each Saturday. The data collected gives valuable insight into customer demographics. This is very helpful when applying for grants.
Can a person pick up food for another household? Yes, it is certainly possible to pick up for others. The person that is picking up must be able to provide the name, phone number, and zip code of the person that they are picking up for. If this information cannot be provided, we cannot provide food for extra households.
How does it work once the customer arrives? A drive-up model is being used. The customer’s information is collected. They open their trunk or hatch. Our volunteers put the food items in the trunk, close the car and our neighbor is on their way. If we are not able to put the food in the trunk or hatch, we provide the food in a shopping cart. The neighbor then loads the food themselves into the front or back seat.
Senior citizens, at least 60 years of age and who meet the program requirements, are eligible for additional nutrition support through the Focus: HOPE program. Focus: HOPE distributes from Fish & Loaves, on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, 10am-1pm.
If you have questions about the program or would like to register, please call Anita at 734-442-0031 on Mondays between 1pm-6pm. Focus: HOPE guidelines
TEFAP
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federal food commodities program and distributes food by city.
At Fish & Loaves, TEFAP distribution is for Taylor residents only. Click here for more details and distribution dates for 2023. Food is distributed from Fish & Loaves on the third Thursday of each month from 10:00am-12:00pm.
If you are not a Taylor resident and are in need of TEFAP, please find your distribution site here.
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Emergency food visits
Emergency Food is available for anyone in need, on a limited basis. For more information, please call 734-442-0031
2-1-1
Our 2-1-1 service provides referrals to programs in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Monroe and Lapeer counties. If you need help finding resources in your area, dial 2-1-1 to speak to a representative now. Or, search the online database, at www.mi211.org/, to access more than 30,000 different statewide programs and services. If you experience problems dialing 2-1-1, dial 1-800-552-1183.
National hunger hotline
Provides referrals for emergency food assistance to food pantries and organizations 1-866-348-6479.
How You Can Help
Our Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry is always seeking ways in which we can improve service to families and individuals. We welcome suggestions for improvements. Also, as a cooperative community project, Fish & Loaves welcomes pantry clients who may wish to volunteer in our office, warehouse, or store. Contact our Operations Manager at 734-992-6285 for volunteer opportunities.