This agency will pursue a practice where the education, health and human service needs of residents within our service area are addressed without regard to age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, or any other classification or category.

The Director's Note

Because No Child Chooses Hardship

No child chooses the circumstances they're born into. And most parents don't choose them either. Almost every parent who walks through our doors is trying their hardest - working, budgeting, stretching. But a car repair, a cut in work hours, or a rent increase can undo months of careful planning. What we see again and again isn't failure; it's people doing their best against barriers that keep moving or an economy that is unrelenting. The weight of that lands on kids in quiet ways. It's the meals that fill but don't nourish. It's a birthday that passes without a cake. It's a child who notices that Mom says she's not hungry again. Kids carry what their families carry. 

With your gift we can fill a family's cart with canned and fresh food for a week, just follow this link to our secure website:

Donate Now – Christian Neighbors – Thank you!

With Gratitude,

Jennifer Collins

Executive Director

From Our Pantry: Kids In Poverty

Children shouldn’t have to worry where their next meal will come from, yet each year millions of children in America live in households struggling to make ends meet.

Poverty affects more than a family’s finances. It affects a child’s health, stable living circumstances, their education, and ability to achieve economic independence as adults. At Christian Neighbors we see firsthand how access to nutritious food and community support help children thrive and give families hope and stability during difficult times.

During the summertime we see the need to help keep up with feeding children due to them not having access to school meals. The community helps bridge that gap with local schools and churches hosting Meet Up and Eat Up opportunities. Here at Christian Neighbors, we also wanted to help bridge that gap by offering our own supplemental Boost Bag summer program for school aged children, preschool to 12th grade. Our Boost Bags contain enough for a week’s worth of easy breakfast and lunch options, fresh fruit, shelf stable milk, juice, snacks, and protein sources.

In the summer of 2025, we distributed 473 Boost Bags to families with school aged children. This summer 2026 we exceeded that by 114 with a total of 587 bags. That is a 24% increase. The average cost of our Boost Bags is $25 - over $14,000 worth of food we were able to give to families with school-aged children this summer! We received food targeted for our Boost Bags from food drives, donations directly to Christian Neighbors, and by using our Meijer Simply Give cards to purchase items.

We are so thankful for our volunteers and our community helping us to be able to provide such an impactful service to the children in our community.

"In 2025 we gave out 473 Boost Bags to families with school aged children. This summer 2026 we exceeded that by 114 with a total of 587 bags. That is a 24% increase."

-Shannon Kirtley

Food Pantry Manager

(Pictured above is Heather Groner, a Thursday Food Pantry Volunteer)

When Families Struggle, Children Feel It Too

-Shannon Zabaldo

Financial Case Manager

How You Can Help Children & Families Today.....Support Our

11th Annual PATH Walk

This Month

Christian Neighbors is partnering with the Red Cross to host a blood drive. There is a critical shortage in blood right now and we need your help to reach our goal of 50 donors to help with the shortage. The blood drive will be held in the event space (lower level) of our Education Resource Center. There will be yummy treats as a reward for giving at our site. Sign up for a slot using the button below. 

Click on the staff name above to send an email to them.

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