Giving Tuesday is a day of generosity, compassion, and kindness. On #GivingTuesday, we invite you to join The Green Apple Pantry in supporting our local community Grand Rapids community and making a difference in the lives of those in need.
🍽️ Why Food Matters: Access to nutritious food is a basic human right, yet many families in our community struggle with food insecurity every day. The Green Apple Pantry is here to provide essential support, ensuring that no one goes to bed hungry.
🌱 How You Can Help: Your contribution, large or small, can make a huge impact. Every dollar you donate helps us provide meals to those who need them most. Whether you can give $5, $50, or even $500, your contribution will go directly towards filling plates and nourishing hearts. 💖
Let’s stand together, hand in hand, to ensure that everyone has access to the most basic human necessity – food. Thank you for being a beacon of hope and making our community stronger, healthier and more compassionate.
The Green Apple Pantry is excited to share that we are planning a NEW fall event named, the Fall Harvest Gala! The new gala will be hosted at the KC Banquet Center on Thursday, October 12, 2023 from 6-9 p.m. We invite you to come and dance, sing, taste delicious food and help others in your own community.
The 2023 theme will be “Foods From Around the World” with stations setup in the ballroom where you will be able to eat the finest food from local, West Michigan chefs. Each country’s dish will be paired along with delicious beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) to give you the experience of the country from right at home in Grand Rapids.
Tickets are $50 each or you can purchase a pair of tickets for $85. All proceeds will benefit local southern Grand Rapids and Kentwood area families in zip codes 49508, 49548, 49512, and 49316.Â
Sponsorships are available for the event with four levels to choose from. The night will feature a silent and LIVE auction and the GAP is looking for donations for both. If you are interested in donating auction items or sponsoring the Gala, please contact Nancy Cromley, Executive Director. We hope to see you soon, thank you for helping feed others.
Update: B2 Outlet Stores donated $469.59
Don’t forget to shop at B2 Outlet, 2085 28th St., SE, Grand Rapids, during the month of May. The Green Apple Pantry has been designated the Mission of the Month and we’re excited to partner with them!
We are thankful to work with community businesses that help us reach our goal of giving a “hand up” to those with food insecurity!
Serving others is what we do and we could not do it with out our local community. Thank you.
“Without the financial assistance of this community and support of volunteers, we would not be able to fulfil our mission. We thank you for all you did for us in 2022 and hope you will continue to support us well into the future,” executive director Nancy Cromley said.
The Green Apple Food Pantry is proud to present “Women’s Night Out” on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 from 5-7 p.m. The event will be held at the pantry and is open to any woman that wants a nice, pampered evening away from the hustle and bustle of life. Heavy appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided from volunteer Chef Karen.
Local nonprofit organization “I support the girls” will be on hand to offer free bras and feminine products to attendees. Goodie bags will also be given away with a variety of health and beauty products, socks, vitamins as well as FREE chair massages and a professional to do your nails for free.
PLUS – we have a very special gift for all…you will find out when you arrive. 🙂
Who: Women in zip codes 49508, 49548, 49512, 49316
What: Women’s Night Out
When: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.
Where: The Green Apple Food Pantry
Why: To have a nice night out for yourself.
Please RSVP by Phone (616.455.9411) or in person at the Green Apple Pantry.
End of year giving is a great way to help those in need and make a positive impact on the world. Would you consider making a donation to The Green Apple Pantry today? The end of the year is an important time for charitable giving as we sum up our budgets for the upcoming year and look at how many people we can help. Do you know our mission and story?
When you make a donation to The Green Apple Pantry, you are not only helping those in need, but you are also making a positive impact on your local community. Thank you everyone for the help, time, food, social media love and more that you have given to us in our greatest times of need.
Green Apple Pantry 2022 Highlights:
New partnership with the Grand Rapids Whole Foods Market
New food van
New refrigerated cooler
3 new Green Apple Pantry board members
1st Annual “Ciderfest” where we raised $15K
Spring open house where we raised $7K
We want to do more, that is always our goal each year. Can you help us today? Your donations directly impact people in southeast Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Caledonia.
Finally, if you are able to make your donation before the end of the year, be sure to take advantage of any tax benefits that may be available.
Do you know our vision at The Green Apple Pantry?
At The Green Apple Pantry we seek to improve the lives of our community, by providing nourishment to our neighbors in need, supplying them with healthy food and personal items; as well as tools of empowerment. Our goal is to assist our neighbors in nourishing them in – mind, body and soul.
We are an independent, 501c3 non-profit organization and we need your help. If you feel empowered to help others and don’t want anyone to go to sleep hungry, can you give on Giving Tuesday to The Green Apple Pantry? Thank you.
You might be asking – who do we help?
280 families | 750 individuals |Â 286 seniors | 210 children
Neighbors receive every 4 weeks: a box of shelf stable food, meats, dairy, produce and fresh bread.
Individuals receive: 90 pounds of food
Families receive: 150 pounds of food
How do we do this? – with the help of people like you. Every week people give their time to make sure others can eat and be happy. We have 45 monthly volunteers that give 510 hours of service to our community.
Again, all proceeds from Giving Tuesday 2022 will go to the local south Grand Rapids and Kentwood friends and neighbors. We are proud to serve our neighbors and never want that to go away.
During the week of Thanksgiving, when your Meijer purchase includes Meijer brand food, Simply Give will provide a meal to feed a neighbor in need. The Green Apple Pantry is one of the holiday recipients of the 2022 Meijer Holiday Simply Give Campaign. We are honored to be able to partner with Meijer once again to help our neighbors.
How to Give To The Green Apple PantryDuring each Simply Give campaign, customers are encouraged to purchase a $10 Simply Give donation card upon checkout. Once purchased, the donation is converted into a Meijer Food-Only Gift Card and donated directly to the local food pantry selected by the store.
Meijer customers shopping online using Meijer pickup or home delivery can also purchase Simply Give donation cards as an add-on to their orders (choose Gaines Marketplace or Cascade/28th Street location).
The Simply Give holiday campaign will run now through Dec. 31, 2022. Meijer will double match any cards purchased Saturday, Dec. 17, effectively tripling contributions made on those days (Gaines Marketplace and Cascade/28th Street locations).
CLICK HERE to donate online to The Green Apple Pantry or donate in-store when you check out (Gaines Marketplace and Cascade/28th Street locations). Thank you again to the 2022 Meijer Holiday Simply Give campaign for the support and helping us feed more families in the greater Grand Rapids/Kentwood area.
At The Green Apple Pantry we seek to improve the lives of our community, by providing nourishment to our neighbors in need, supplying them with healthy food and personal items; as well as tools of empowerment. Our goal is to assist our neighbors in nourishing them in – mind, body and soul.
Everyone wants to have a happy holiday season – no matter what holiday they celebrate. At the Green Apple Pantry we give each family a “holiday” meal box with all the trimmings and that always includes a turkey for dinner. Could you help us make a family have a memorable holiday season in 2022?
“We love to help others celebrate and feel love together during the holiday season,” executive director Nancy Cromley said. “Our goal is that every single family that comes to our door can leave with a box of goodies that can help create those special 
memories.”
If you would like to donate funds for the Green Apple Pantry to help others during the 2022 holiday season, please donate here. The cost of a Turkey this season is around $30 each as a reference.
At The Green Apple we seek to improve the lives of our community, by providing nourishment to our neighbors in need, supplying them with healthy food and personal items; as well as tools of empowerment. Our goal is to assist our neighbors in nourishing them in – mind, body and soul.
The Green Apple Pantry is proud to announce a partnership with Whole Foods Market for not only food donations, but also a beautiful food truck to help transport donations.
Whole Foods will donate to The Green Apple Pantry four times a week with fresh food items and produce.
“We are truly blessed to partner with Whole Foods,” said executive director Nancy Cromley. “We serve so many families in the Kentwood and Grand Rapids area, help is always appreciated and we look forward to the future and seeing how we can continue to help our local public.”
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – The Green Apple Pantry is proud to announce a partnership with Meijer to provide much-needed relief to local families facing food insecurity through the retailer’s customer-driven hunger relief program, Simply Give.
“We are so grateful to Meijer to help us give essential food back to the local community. Locally, we have seen an increase need coming from people in Kentwood and beyond,” said Nancy Cromley, Executive Director of The Green Apple Pantry.
Our community continues to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and food pantries are seeing increased demand in their communities.
Each Meijer Simply Give campaign replenishes the shelves of more than 260 food pantries in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The program encourages customers to purchase $10 Simply Give donation cards, which are then converted into Meijer food-only gift cards and given to a local food pantry in the store’s community.
The Green Apple Pantry will benefit from donation cards purchased at the insert your local 28th Street and Kalamazoo Meijer store now through Oct. 1. In addition, Meijer will double match any cards purchased on Saturday, Sep. 10, effectively tripling contributions made on that day. Meijer customers shopping online using Meijer pickup or home delivery can also purchase Simply Give donation cards as an add-on to their orders.
“The events of the last nearly two years have taught us all the importance of community members supporting each other,” said Cromley. “We encourage community members to help us feed their neighbors facing food insecurity in Grand Rapids this season by purchasing a Meijer Simply Give food donation card during their next shopping trip.”
Since the program began in November 2008, more than $73 million has been generated for food pantries in the Midwest to distribute to its neighbors in need.
 “The Simply Give program is a way for Meijer customers to partner with us and support the food banks and pantries that feed families in need in their own communities,” said Cathy Cooper, Senior Director of Community Partnerships and Giving for Meijer. “We certainly couldn’t do it without the support and commitment of our generous customers and team members, who stand beside us in this effort.”
About Meijer Philanthropy: Meijer is a family-owned retailer based in Grand Rapids, Mich. with a fundamental philosophy aimed at enriching lives in the communities it serves. Meijer proudly donates more than 6 percent of its net profit each year to charities throughout the Midwest. With hunger as a corporate philanthropic focus, Meijer partners with hundreds of food banks and pantries through its Simply Give and food rescue programs. Meijer also supports education, disaster relief, and health and wellness initiatives. For additional information on Meijer philanthropy, please visit www.meijercommunity.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer and @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.
