Photo courtesy The Other Way Ministries.
Since 1967, The Other Way Ministries has been serving the West Side of Grand Rapids. A self-proclaimed community development organization, The Other Way Ministries is outfitted with multiple resources for the community: a food pantry, fresh market, and member-driven food co-op, family programming, free preschool and childcare for low-income families, youth services, counseling, and more.
Read on to learn how Bridge Street Market works with The Other Way Ministries, and how you can get involved!
WHEN NEIGHBORHOOD PANTRY MEETS NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY STORE
When Bridge Street Market opened in 2018, there weren’t many places to find fresh produce on the West Side of Grand Rapids – but one place was the neighborhood pantry and fresh market at The Other Way Ministries.
Keeping a close eye on neighborhood developments, it wasn’t long before they were teamed up with store manager Ken Bair to see the vision of Bridge Street Market come to life. Bridge Street Market is focused on being a neighborhood grocery store that provides everything you need from your grocery list while supporting local makers and offering every day low prices. “We were really excited about the direction that the store was going,” says Executive Director Scott Bloem.
Prior to Bridge Street Market, the fresh market at The Other Way Ministries was one of the only places in the neighborhood to find fresh produce. As a community development organization, they were excited to see more accessibility to fresh produce, healthy ingredients, and household staples for our neighbors.
Photo courtesy The Other Way Ministries.
Photo courtesy The Other Way Ministries.
KEEPING SHELVES STOCKED
The Other Way Ministries wears a lot of hats, but one that we really appreciate is their neighborhood food pantry. We work closely with our established distribution centers to offer grocery staples at cost to The Other Way Ministries to serve our community.
When the pandemic hit, their team saw a 400% increase in food requests almost overnight. Families all over our community were scrambling to find food to fill their fridges, and grocery stores were struggling to keep shelves stocked. Where did that leave pantries?
We work to enrich lives in the communities we serve, and a perfect opportunity to do that was to continue our existing partnership with The Other Way Ministries. “Even when things were scarce for Bridge Street Market, keeping us stocked at the pantry was still a priority,” says Bloem.
GIVE BACK WITH SIMPLY GIVE
Scan a $10 Simply Give donation card at checkout and we will convert your donation into a Meijer Food-Only Gift Card for The Other Way Ministries.
On Saturday, March 5, we will celebrate Simply Give with a Double Match Day. On these days, your $10 donation turns into $30 with a double match by Bridge Street Market and Meijer.
When your $10 donation becomes $30, you are providing a full week’s worth of groceries for two families of five people in our neighborhood.
Photo courtesy The Other Way Ministries.
Photo courtesy The Other Way Ministries.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Even throughout these wild times, there are still ways you can work with The Other Way Ministries and get your hands dirty (literally, if you want!). There current needs include:
🥕 Food Pantry Volunteer – deliver food, pick up food donations or purchases, sort items
☎️ Office Volunteer – take calls at the fresh market (Spanish speakers needed!)
📚Tutor Volunteer – assist students from Sibley Elementary with their e-learning curriculum, read books, and general homework assistance
If you’re not able or interested in physically volunteering, you can always donate money, food, or simply like and share their content on social media! A great way to help community organizations is to connect them to more people who need their services.