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

Celebrating VOLUNTEERS - the Heart of Christian Neighbors



At Christian Neighbors, volunteers are truly the heart of everything we do. Each person who gives their time, whether motivated by faith, a desire to give back, or simply a love for helping others plays a vital role in our mission.

Our volunteers’ brave snowstorms, heat waves, heavy boxes, and piles of dishes, yet they continue to return with willing hands and warm smiles. Their acts of kindness ripple far beyond our walls, helping bring stability and hope to families across our community.

Every day, volunteers shop alongside clients in the pantry so families can choose food that will nourish their households. They sort and stock donations, so our shelves are ready when someone comes through the door in need. They help prepare for classes, greet guests at the reception desk, assist with events, and jump in wherever our staff needs an extra set of hands.

We hear several first-hand stories about how our services, classes, and programs help make a real difference in individuals and family’s lives. Moments like that happen because people choose to give their time and show up for their neighbors.

This month, as we celebrate volunteer appreciation, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to the 80+ individuals who give their time and heart to this work. Because of them, Christian Neighbors can continue walking alongside families as they build stability and move toward brighter days.

With Gratitude,

Jennifer Collins

Executive Director

Upcoming Events

Soup Suppers are fundraising events for Christian Neighbors hosted by our wonderful church partners to raise funds that go directly to our food pantry to help fight hunger within our community. Come enjoy a wonderful meal to help support a great cause! We hope to see you!

We hope you will join us for this year's event with some NEW and exciting changes: new menu choices including a carving station, passed appetizers, and desserts from Four Roses Café. Some of your favorite silent and live auction items will be back, but we have many new and exciting ones too!

We hope to see you there!

When the webpage opens up, please move to the upper left hand side of the page, and you will see PURCHASE TICKETS. If you have any issues or have questions, please feel free to reach out to Eric Hoffman, 269.685.4166 x 100 or ehoffman@christianneighbors.org.

National Volunteer Week

Since 1974, National Volunteer Week has been an opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteers service and the power of volunteers to tackle society's greatest challenges, to build stronger communities and be a force that transforms the world.

Every day here at Christian Neighbors, volunteers transform our ministry, from providing hands at our mobile and in-house food pantries, to helping teach others how to cook, balance a checkbook, or simply share a meal with a fellow class participant.

In 2025, our volunteers provided over 2,850 hours of time to support Christian Neighbors, and our mission of providing a safe place for people in our community who need food, rent and utility assistance, education, or other resources to help create stability in their lives.

We thank all of our volunteers during this week, and all year round for their various skills they bless us with every day.

Thank You!

Eric Hoffman

Fund Development & Volunteer Manager

Educational Resource Center

The purpose of our Education Resource Center (ERC) is to connect the community through shared learning and life experiences. Our volunteers help us to fulfill this purpose. 

In 2025, the dedicated volunteers at the ERC provided a total of 1372 hours of volunteer service. You will see our volunteers doing a whole host of service including preparing taxes for free, prepping ingredients for a cooking class, packing link bags for the food pantry, setting up the event space for events such as our annual veteran luncheon, helping seniors learn how to live independently longer and teaching preschoolers beginning kitchen skills. 

We are so fortunate to have such caring and compassionate volunteers who love to share their talents with us – thank you to each one of them!

Food Pantry

Welcome to Shannon Kirtley

Christian Neighbors is pleased to introduce our new Food Pantry Manager, Shannon Kirtley. Shannon comes to us with strong transferable skills and a genuine passion for helping others, and we are excited to welcome her to the Christian Neighbors team.

In her role, Shannon will lead our internal pantry staff and volunteers, oversee pantry logistics, and coordinate our two Mobile Food Pantries in partnership with Feeding America and the South Michigan Food Bank. Shannon and her pantry assistant, Wendy, will also serve as the primary contacts for food drives, churches, and any food-related questions.

The need for food assistance in our community continues to rise. In 2025, our pantry experienced an unprecedented 2,877 visits. Already in the first quarter of 2026, we have served 207 more families than we did during the same time last year. Food donations from individuals, businesses, churches, sports teams, civic groups, and other community partners are the lifeline that keeps our pantry shelves stocked.

Please reach out to Shannon or Wendy about holding a food drive at skirtley@christianneighbors.org or wgauthier@christianneighbors.org



HOW CAN YOU HELP?

We are in need for substitute pantry volunteers who can help cover vacations or illnesses, as well as volunteers to assist with special food drives such as Stuff the Bus and Stamp Out Hunger.

We are also in need of drivers. Drivers play a vital role in helping get food from our various food banks to our location. We need drivers who can lift up to 50 pounds, have a large truck with an open truck bed or a large SUV that can have all the seats lay down. Food bank pick up times are:

·        Every Friday 8:00-8:30am pick up in Allegan

·        Second Tuesday of the month 12:00pm (noon) pick up in Hamilton

·        First Friday of the month 12:00pm (noon) pickup in Hamilton

·        Second Friday of the month 11:30am pick up in Battle Creek



If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Volunteer Manager Eric Hoffman at ehoffman@christianneighbors.org or 269-685-4166 ext. 100. Please note we do require a volunteer application and a background check.

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

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