Inside thisIssue:

* FCA and Oxford/ 2Orion Schoolsfill the food pantry

* Bulletin board 3

* Another new 4beginning

We welcome yourcom ments andletters. Please email toDon Danko, editor, atddanko@comcast.net.

Pantry is located at 1060 S. Lapeer Rd.,Oxford, MI 48371.

Hotline: 248-628-3933

December, 2019

A message to our volunteers and supporters

from the FISH Board of DirectorsLooking ahead to Christmas and the end of our 46th year of “neighbors helping neighbors,” it lookslike 2019 will turn out to be a record year for Oxford/Orion FISH in terms of the amount of helpwe’ve been able to give to those fighting food insecurity in our community.

When we close the books on 2019, we expect we will have dispersed more than 200,000 pounds offood, the most ever. We also expect that the number of households that shopped at the pantry thisyear and the number of individuals in those families will both be at record levels. Part of the reasonfor this growth no doubt lies in the move we made last year to a more central and visible pantry location.This has made it possible for more of our neighbors in need to come to the pantry to do their groceryshopping. And although our economy is growing, that need is clearly there. Many of our neighborscontinue to struggle keeping food on the kitchen table while also facing other necessary householdexpenses, especially utilities and medical expenses.

It’s thanks to you, our volunteers and supporters, that we have been able to keep our pantry shelvesfull. (See our latest food drive results, page 2.) Thank you for that support. May the coming Christmasseason fill your heart and the hearts of your loved ones with as much joy and gratitude as you arebringing into our pantry and the homes of our clients.

The FISH food pantry hosted eight special guests on a recent Saturday afternoon. And they came bearing gifts.The visitors were Scoutmaster Brian Jones and the scouts from Pack 186. They brought 66 bags of donatedfood items that the scouts collected by going door-to-door in their neighborhood. The total weight of the itemswas 389 pounds. “I can verify that this is an accurate weight,” said FISH’s Michelle Behm. “The scouts thor-oughly enjoyed our scale and weighing every item that they were donating. Of course, the scouts weighedthemselves, too. It was truly an enjoyable event.”

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15,000 pounds of food collectedEleven Oxford and Lake Orion schools plus FCA equals success

“Thanks to this year’s ThanksgivingFood Drive, our food pantry nowhas 15,000 more pounds of food todistribute to our clients.” So reportedFISH’s Ron Wood after seeing theday-long flow of contributionscoming into the pantry from 11 areaschools with help from nearly 50FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automotive)employees (photos). Area businesses,churches and civic organizationsalso participated in the collectionwhich helped to fill the shelves andwarehouse area in FISH’s LapeerRd. food pantry.

Employees of FCA volunteered their time as drivers, sorters, date checkers and more on the drive’s important “D-Day”(delivery day) to the pantry on Nov. 22. Participating schools in Oxford were Lakeville, Leonard, Clear Lake, Oxford and

Daniel Axford elementary schools andOxford Virtual Academy and OxfordHigh School (photos below). Four LakeOrion schools also participated in thedrive: Stadium and Paint Creek elementaryschools and Scripps and Oakview middle schools.

Many churches and businesses held theirown food collection drives: Christ theRedeemer Catholic Church, St. JosephCatholic Church, King of KingsLutheran Church, Caruso ChiropracticClinic (its 29th Annual Food Drive), Oxford Bank and Cooper Standard Automotive. Many of them also madecash contributions.

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Our pantry wish list for December . . . includes taco shells, canned chicken, beef stew, mandarin oranges, apple sauce,

soup and chili. Check our website, oxfordorionfish.org, for other items as special needs arise.

Please note our pantry holiday hours . . . The FISH pantry and office will be closed beginning ChristmasEve, Dec. 24, and will reopen on Monday, Jan. 6. Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas.

Still time to be an angel . . . a FISH Angel, that is. You can help make Christmas a much brighter and happierholiday for the children of our FISH clients by bringing unwrapped gifts toMyrick Hall at St. Joseph Catholic Church from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 12-13. The gifts will be placed on “Bonus Tables” (photo) which will be avail-able to clients when they come to pick up gifts that have been purchased fortheir children by more than 70 individuals, families, churches, businessesand schools who have adopted these children. More than 50 families andaround 130 children will be gifted in this year’s AngelFISH program, whichmarks FISH’s 17th year of Christmas gift-giving. For more information,please call 248-770-9775.

Oxford/Orion FISH . . . is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an equal opportunity provider. For abrochure on the organization, call 248-628-3933, or visit our website at oxfordorionfish.org.

Get your FISHline in full colorHelp us “go green” by sending us your email address so

you can receive your monthly issue of FISHline electroni-

cally. This helps us save on printing and postage and gets

our monthly issues to you a little earlier, and with the gift of

full-color photos as well. We’ll be happy to add your ad-

dress to our list. Email us at oxfordorionfish@gmail.com.

Food pantry totals for OctoberHouseholds served: 219 (10 new clients)

Individuals served: 493Amount of food: 20,847 poundsEmergency food boxes picked up: 7 families (750#)

Our next General Meeting will be held at 9 a.m.,Thursday, January 9, at our 1060 S. Lapeer Rd. pantry.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

The Prayer LineFor the special intentions of our clients and volunteers.

For our community’s support of this month’s AngelFISH program.

For a blessed Christmas for all the children of our FISH clients and volunteers.

For our FISH clients, volunteers and their families struggling with cancer, surgery or other major hardships.

Almighty God, whose great commandment is that we shall love our neighbors as ourselves, and who has taught us that

we should do to others as we would have them do to us, we ask your blessing upon the work and growth of the FISH

movement throughout the world. As our purpose is to help our fellow persons, and to promote all that is good in the

life of our community, so we pray that you will strengthen our hands in all our undertakings, and that your work may

spread the spirit of fellowship and goodwill among all people.

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Oxford/Orion FISH Nonprofit OrganizationP.O. Box 732 U.S. Postage PaidLAKE ORION, MI 48361 PERMIT NO. 44 Lake Orion, MI

The Oxford Township building that in the past has served as a community hall, a church and most recently as a food pantry forOxford/Orion FISH is now on its way to its fourth new beginning,this time as a private residence. The 70-year-old building was recently sold to Milford resident John Belkowski, pictured above atthe property closing with FISH President Laurene Baldwin and others.“We couldn’t be happier with the sale,” Laurene said. “The buildingwas a gift to us from Thomas United Methodist Church (see letter)and served as our food pantry for 14 years. Over those years thousandsof shopping trips were made to the building by our neighbors inneed, adding to the building’s proud history of community support.We extend a warm welcome to Mr. Belkowski to our community.”

It’s another new beginning for 487 First St.

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1060 S. Lapeer Rd Oxford, MI 48371

248.628.3933 oxfordorionfish.org

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Dear Members of the Thomas United Methodist Church Faith Community:

We can’t let our recent sale of the Thomas Community Hall building pass without expressing our most sincere and heartfelt thanks for entrusting us with the privilege of using the building to serve our Oxford/Orion FISH clients and continue building upon its proud tradition of being a home serving the material and spiritual needs of our community.

Since your donation of this treasured building to us in 2005, we have remained mindful of how well this beloved “little building” has served the Thomas community since its construction in 1950, first as the Thomas Community Hall hosting twice-a-month dances, wedding receptions, potluck dinners, bazaars, silent auctions and more for more than 40 years; then as a home for your faith community, the Thomas United Methodist Church in your service as the spiritual center of our community.

In the 14 years Oxford/Orion FISH has been privileged to offer services in the building to our neighbors in need, we have aimed to build on that proud history and tradition of faithful service coming from within the walls of this community treasure. Literally thousands of shopping trips have been made to 487 First Street by our “neighbors in need,” our FISH clients facing food insecurity. Our goal over the years has been to make sure that when our clients leave the pantry after their shopping trips, that they leave with more than food, but also with our community’s blessing and an awareness of the dignity and respect they deserve and have received from us as children of God.

Thank you for the opportunity to add to the building’s proud history of community support. May the richness in the spirit that has filled the walls at 487 First Street for nearly 70 years continue to bless us and our community in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Oxford/Orion FISH Board of Directors Laurene Baldwin President

Michelle Behm Vice President

Sue Black Secretary

Randy Gower Treasurer

Ron Wood Sue Hackstock

Lynn Kennis Ron Ziemba Don Danko