The Twelve Baskets’ mission is to lead the fight against hunger by bridging the gap between the need and excess while restoring hope, dignity, and self-respect to all whom they serve. Twelve Baskets started in 2013 when members of Lake Center Bible Church saw a need for a food pantry to reach the hungry in Portage, School Craft, Vicksburg, and Three Rivers area. The need was realized when the church provided backpacks filled with food for students at Lake Center Elementary School; if the children needed food, the whole family probably did, as well. 

Once the doors opened in June of 2014, Twelve Baskets was overwhelmed by support and donations from families and businesses in the area. Now they are outgrowing their current facility. In the first six months of 2019, they served over 8,000 people in their community. Here is how you can be a part of this growing organization.

ADDRESS: 10332 Portage Road Portage, MI 49002
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: Joanne (269) 532-4912
WEBSITE: twelve-baskets.org
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook

Pray for Twelves Baskets:

• Pray for the Board of Directors to be unified in decision making

• That they would be able to show the love & care of Jesus Christ to each of His children. 

• That all they do would bring God the glory. 

• Special prayers as they move forward with the decision to expand and for financial provision to make this possible.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Age Requirement: To volunteer, you must be at least 12 years old
Time Commitment: There is no minimum time commitment so volunteering is flexible 

Maintenance

Twelve Baskets desires to serve their clients with excellence by providing a clean store space. There are three specific areas of maintenance; to wipe down shelves, tables, refrigerators & freezers, or outdoor care clean up, breaking down boxes, emptying trash, raking, and/or mowing. These jobs are done weekly at their building.

Organizational

Drivers 
Pick up donations from vendors around portage in order to bring them back to the pantry to be organized and made available to the public.
Requirements: Must be 16 years old and have a valid drivers license

Unloading and Stocking
Moving the donated goods from the vehicles and trailers into the store for stocking. The food needs to be weighed and placed on shelves or the freezer or cooler. Stocking shelves, arranging the produce, placing products
Times: Tuesdays 9 - 11 am
Requirements: you must be able to lift 50 pounds.

Customer Service

Times: Second and fourth Saturdays 8:30 am - 12 pm, first and third Fridays 4-7 pm.

Shopper Assistant 
This involves helping the client get items off of shelves, pushing their cart, bagging groceries, etc. as well as, engaging the client in friendly conversation. On distribution days our volunteers walk with clients to guide them in the amounts of each item they can take.

Station Attendant 
Engaging with clients while manning a station and handing out the specific foods at your station.  

Parking Lot Attendants 
Leaving a lasting impression on the clients that come in, these volunteers help the clients to their cars and help load their cars.  
Another position for an attendant is to supervise the parking lot as clients come and go.

Events

Another great opportunity to volunteer is to be involved in the food drives and other events run by Twelve Baskets. They are partners with businesses around the Portage area, hosting events to educate people on their organization, and to get the community involved. They also hold fundraisers throughout the year that are staffed by their volunteer team. They hold a golf fundraiser in the fall, and an annual Plant and Garden Fundraiser.