GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church has been serving its neighborhood for decades, and it's a program that continues to grow.
"It's been going on for over 50 years," said Demarco Wilkinson, Eastern Ave Church's Food Program Director.
Free Food Saturday was born out of kindness, as churchgoers started sharing extra produce from their gardens.
"It's grown so much that I connect with lot of different distributors and farms and people that are that are wanting to be a part of just really a sustainable program," Wilkinson explained.
It's a service that repeats every Saturday.
"My passion is for giving, and I guess first and foremost, this is my neighborhood," he added, saying they receive over 8-10 tons of food deliveries each week.
"Flour, crackers, onions, snacks, canned goods. Then when Saturday morning comes, that's when you'll see, we'll, we'll bring everything out of the coolers, everything out of the freezers, and then we'll pitch it all in."
There are no requirements to get a $200 box.
"You don't have to register for anything. You don't need an ID. I don't care about your family size or anything like that at all. It's just if your family needs, or if you need, or if you just want to cut down your grocery bill, you know, come down."
Wilkinson added that the food he gives out is the quality he'd have in his own cupboards with the discarded food going into a compost bin.
The doors open at 7 a.m., but some people start lining up as early as 4:30 a.m.
"If you can imagine someone having a number called, they will come and grab a basket. Along the sides here, on each side, you'll have milk and you'll have yogurt, you'll have crackers, you'll have candy, you'll have fruits and vegetables."
A 50 year program that has remained a hidden gem, until now. "I've taken pride in being the best kept secret, and I want to grow and perfect from within. I've always felt that the program isn't ready yet for that type of thing, but it's now come to where it's time."
If you're interested in donating, you can find how here https://www.eacrc.org/ [eacrc.org]
