Help with Food and Groceries in Livingston County
No family deserves to go hungry in a time of need. Below you will find many resources to help with food and groceries in Livingston County Michigan.
Livingston County Food Programs
Livingston Hunger Council – Nourishing our community by championing food access and education. Learn about all programs in Livingston County at this flyer.
Food Programs, Livingston County – This county-wide list put together by the Human Services Collaborative Body has information of numerous food programs in Livingston County.
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA) – Can provide assistance with basic needs including food, housing and utilities.
Love INC – Can provide assistance with basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and transportation.
Livingston County Grocery/Pantry Options
Bountiful Harvest – Serves all of Livingston County with a client-choice food pantry.
FREE Produce Carts – Find fresh produce as it becomes available in Brighton, Fowlerville, Howell, Pinckney and Whitmore Lake. See flyer for details. (Note: Fowlerville Library and WIC in Howell service this year-round. All other locations are based on produce availability.)
Gleaners Community Food Bank Mobile Distribution Sites
Howell
- Howell Recreation, 1661 N. Latson Rd. | 1st Thursday of each month, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
- Hartland Senior Center, 9525 E. Highland Rd. | 3rd Wednesday of each month, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
- Howell High School, 1200 W. Grand River Ave. | 3rd Thursday of each month, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- Grumlaw Church, 8457 E. Highland Rd. | 4th Tuesday of each month, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Fowlerville
Fowlerville High School, 700 N. Grand Ave. | 2nd Thursday of each month, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Pinckney
Pinckney Community High School, 10255 Dexter-Pinckney Rd. | 2nd Wednesday of each month, 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Gleaners Fresh Market at Shared Harvest Pantry
The Fresh Market at Shared Harvest Pantry provides free fruit, vegetables, milk, and eggs, along with bakery items to individuals and families on a weekly basis. Visit Gleaners, located at 5924 Sterling Dr., Howell every Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Call 517-548-3710 to learn more.
Free Sharing Box / Little Free Pantry Locations
- The Giving Box: Located at 220 S. Howell St., Pinckney (On the porch of the Pinckney Village Hall and Police Department)
- Brighton Imagination Station Free Food Pantry: Located near the bathrooms at the Imagination Station playground in downtown Brighton
- Howell Free Food Pantry: Located at the Howell City Depot lot, near the Howell Summit Gardens
Hot Meals in Livingston County
Fish & Loaves, 2023 Schedule – FREE community dinners on Sunday evenings.
Lasagna Love – This national program pairs local volunteers with people in need of a little love. Sign up to get a free meal of lasagna delivered by a local support person.
Government Programs in Michigan
Temporary food assistance for eligible low-income families and individuals
- Need to fill out an application for Food Assistance by:
- Requesting a paper application to be mailed to you
- Completing a paper application at the DHHS office
- Completing an online application on the DHHS kiosk at their office
- Apply online through your MIBridges Account.
- If you do not have a MIBridges account, go to www.michigan.gov/mibridges to create an account and apply for Food Assistance.
- Lobby Navigators (Eligibility Specialists) are available in the office (2300 E. Grand River, Howell) if you need assistance during this process. If you would like to complete the interview while at the office, they can do that as well.
- Expedited process – If the applicant is considered Expedited, then MDHHS will need to process your application and have benefits issued within 7 days. MDHHS would have to complete either an in-person interview or telephone interview and will also need verification of your identity.
- Any required verifications will be postponed and you will receive a Verification Checklist for the ongoing Food Assistance Benefits. If you have not had an EBT Bridge Card previously, then one will be mailed out to you which takes 7-10 days.
- If your need is immediate, once you are approved for Expedited Food Assistance, you can request an over-the-counter EBT card to be issued to you, but you will first need to bring a photo-ID to the DHHS office. (2300 E. Grand River, Howell)
- Non-Expedited – If you are not considered Expedited, MDHHS has 30 days to process your application. An interview will need to be completed and all required verifications will need to be submitted to MDHHS before a determination can be made. Typical verifications include last 30 days of income/pay stubs, utility bills, rent/mortgage expense, daycare expenses and/or medical expenses. Once the verification checklist is issued, you will have 10 days to return the required verifications. DHHS can assist you with getting any needed verifications.
WIC (Women Infant Children) – Health & nutrition program for pregnant & breastfeeding women and children up to age 5.
- Enrollment based upon income and nutritional needs.
- Different food packages are provided for different categories of participants. WIC foods include infant cereal, iron-fortified adult cereal, vitamin C-rich fruit or vegetable juice, eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, dried and canned beans/peas, and canned fish, etc.
National Hotline for Resources
For additional help and resources, 2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referrals. Call or click for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more.
Find more resources to programs and services for families in Livingston County on our resources page.
Please reach out to us if you need further help and we will do our best to connect you with local agencies that can help!
