Food insecurity is a silent battle. You cannot always tell who is struggling with hunger. And too often shame is placed on those who are unable to access food and are under the federal poverty level. Frequently, it isn’t just those under the federal poverty level who experience food insecurity but instead a group known as the ALICE population: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed.
These are people who earn “too much” to participate in government assistance programs but not enough to afford the basics in the communities in which they reside. These people feel like they’re on a treadmill—unable to take their foot off the gas, constantly trying to bring in enough to feel secure. This is an exhausting life to live.
Christ Our Savior (COS) Lutheran Church in Livonia, Michigan, has been working to be a part of providing food and alleviating some of these pressures for families below the poverty line and in the ALICE population in the local community. This portion of the population of those experiencing food insecurity is higher in Michigan than the national average—and in the COS neighborhood, over half of families are either impoverished or considered ALICE.
One of the barriers to accessing assistance is paperwork. It seems a bit silly that pieces of paper could keep people from getting what they need, but for good reasons, some programs create qualifications families must meet to gain service. Christ Our Savior recognized this barrier and created a food pantry.
“You just show up and we’ll serve you,” says Pastor Joel Werner. Every Friday, COS invites the community to come and receive a bag of nonperishable food items. There’s no need to provide income statements, proof of need, or even an address. “We’ll ask how we can pray for you, of course.”
But each year, COS wants to do more for those in their community experiencing food insecurity. During the Christmas season, for years, the saints at Christ Our Savior have created boxes filled with perishable and nonperishable items. These bins were then handed out during a Saturday breakfast and worship event called “CHRISTmas Blessings.”
In 2023, the committee for this event reimagined how they could serve the community. Part of providing an approach that alleviates shame required the committee to find ways to insert choice into the process. So, instead of giving each participant a preassembled bin, each guest participated in his or her own “shopping experience,” getting to choose which items were needed and wanted. There was still no cost to the guests for the items, and the church still provided breakfast and music from a brass ensemble.
Christ Our Savior served over two hundred families from Wayne County during CHRISTmas Blessings in 2023. And they hope to continue to build connections with the people whom they served and continue to serve.
“We actually ran out of resources and started digging through closets to find more books to give away,” Adele Werner, a volunteer at the event, noted. “Even if these books just sit on someone’s shelf, I hope that every time they see them, they are reminded of the kindness and care of the people of Christ.”
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