The only thing worse than the need for community food pantries is having a pantry and not being able to store perishable goods.

That’s what makes the food pantry grant for a new refrigeration unit offered by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan in collaboration with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), Blue Cross Complete of Michigan and the BCBSM Foundation such a blessing.

“Last year we served 75,665 people and because of the refrigeration unit we were able to store milk between pantry days for emergency food,” said Sue Ostosh, executive director of Harvest Time Christian Fellowship Church’s pantry and among the organizations that have received the grant that’s now open for new applicants.

Emergency food as Ostosh explained is a term that pantries use for people who are in a crisis situation.

“They have no food in the house. No food in the cupboards. Their children are hungry and they don’t know what to do,” Ostosh said. “We probably serve three to five families in this situation every week.”

Harvest Time in Warren is one of 179 organizations in 54 counties that have received a grant to help people facing food insecurity, which includes about 14% of people in Michigan or one in seven Michiganders, according to a report by Feeding America. Older adults, seniors over the age of 60, are also at risk with a food insecurity rate of 6.5%.

According to the BCBSM, the situation is even worse for children, with nearly one in six lacking enough to eat and more than 20 counties having 20% or more kids without reliable access to healthy food.

“When families have consistent access to fresh, nutritious foods like milk, cheese and yogurt it supports their health, development and well being,” said Amiee Vondrasek, health and wellness senior manager for the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, in a news release. “Through this grant program, we’re proud to partner with organizations across Michigan to ensure food pantries are equipped to provide the dairy foods their communities want and need, especially for children and seniors facing food insecurity.”

Todd Anderson concurred.

“Access to fresh produce is critically important for growing children and families who are making ends meet with fewer resources,” said the market president for Blue Cross Complete. “Having these basic needs met creates a positive shift in a person’s overall health and wellbeing. It helps bring them out of survival mode, and that ripples out and allows whole communities to thrive.”

The refrigeration units cost $7,000.

In addition to the refrigeration unit, food pantry grantees will also receive personalized technical assistance to enhance pantry operations and $250 in dairy match funding to purchase additional eligible dairy products for their pantry.

“Food pantries play a vital role in providing individuals and families with access to nutritious food and BCBSM and the BCBSM Foundation are proud to offer resources to help expand their reach and impact,” said Tiffany Albert, senior vice president of community relations for BCBSM. “By investing in food pantries, we can address the immediate need of our communities and equip pantries with the necessary resources, tools and support to serve those in need for years to come.”

Ostosh, whose pantry in Warren serves families in Macomb and parts of Oakland and Wayne counties, said she appreciates what BCBSM is doing.

She just wishes more companies were doing it.

“I could use another refrigerator,” she said. “Even a walk-in cooler or freezer would be great.”

Grant applications are due June 22. They must be submitted using the online application.

For more information and to apply visit the Food Pantry Grant Program site at milkmeansmore.org/dairy-in-the-community/food-pantry-grant-program/

Harvest Time Christian Fellowship Church food pantry is 8204 East 9 Mile Rd., in Warren.

It was 40 years ago that L. Brooks Patterson organized a golf outing as a way of turning a heartbreaking tragedy into something beautiful. What began as a gesture to honor a friend and his children killed in a plane crash planted a seed that grew into The Rainbow Connection.

Its mission to brighten the lives of sick children and their families by providing them with fun, joy, comfort and inspiration during their darkest days has been growing ever since.

“We get to grant wishes to brave and wonderful Michiganders,” said Ingrid Todt, executive director of the Rainbow Connection, who was a college intern when she started working for the charity. “I did a picnic for a wish family and fell in love with the work.

“I’ve been here ever since.”

Since the first wish in 1985, granted to a 16-year-old patient at Children’s Hospital of Michigan who wanted to meet the legendary Muhammad Ali, more than 4,300 children have had wishes granted.

One that Todt will always remember had her traveling to Washington, D.C. at Christmas-time with Adam, a 12-year-old boy who wanted to meet President George W. Bush.

“He had a very old soul and just wanted to see what it was like to have a conversation with a president in the White House,” said Todt, who remembers the trip came up suddenly and Patterson, who served as Oakland County Executive for more than 26 years before his death in 2019, secured a private jet to get the boy and his family there in time.

It was a dream come true.

Adam was ushered into the Roosevelt Room where he and his family not only met with the President and First Lady but were given enough time to have the conversation he always wanted.

Wishes are granted through a process that involves a referral by hospital staff or online application. Once the application is approved, Rainbow Connection staff will set up a meeting to discuss what sort of wish the child might like.

“It’s usually something to do with going somewhere, meeting someone, or receiving something,” Todt said, remembering a young girl who wanted a shopping spree, another child going to the Super Bowl and one little girl who had her photo taken with the entire Dallas Cowboys cheerleader squad.

Medicine has come a long way so many children with life-threatening illnesses are doing much better than previous generations, but they have to go through so much to get to that point.

“The wishes give them the opportunity to focus on something amazing and fun during their journey,” said Todt.

For Scarlett Morales, 17, of Clinton Township, who is battling cancer,  a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando with her parents and young sister was exactly what she needed.

“At the prime of Scarlett’s teenage years (age 16) she got diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” said Scarlett’s mother, Estela Morales. “We felt like our world was collapsing. We did not know what to expect with this new journey. As the initial weeks of treatment started to become more intense she started to feel like she was in a hopeless hole.”

That’s when she got a wish.

“When Scarlett was informed that a wish could be granted she did not know what to ask for,” Estela said, adding her daughter has always been a very grateful young lady and even something as simple as a popsicle would bring about a smile so she was a little dumbfounded by the offer.

However, after meeting with the Rainbow Connection and thinking about how her illness affected her sister she decided on a trip that would create memories for everyone in her family.

“We all went on an adventure of a lifetime,” Estela said.

Scarlett concurred.

“My happiest moment was to see all of us enjoying our time together, especially when my little sister Leah got to meet the character Stitch,” Scarlett said. “The Rainbow Connection is a magnificent organization and thanks to many generous people is able to make children’s wishes come true.”

One recipient who battled cancer as a child and grew up to become a health care professional said the charity provided her and her family with moments that impacted her life long after granting her a wish.

“This organization becomes an integral part of your family, providing financial support if needed, special events for the families until 18, scholarships for trade school/community college/University and more,” Jennifer said, in a testimonial recalling her wish 20 years ago.

“I’m never going to make a ton of money,” Todt said, of her role as the executive director of a nonprofit. “But I could never imagine doing anything else.”

For more information visit rainbowconnection.org/.

By JESSICA DAMIANO

If you’re gearing up to plant fruits, vegetables or herbs this spring, why not grow some extra to donate to your local soup kitchen or pantry?

The national Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign, launched in 1995, has been encouraging home and community gardeners to do just that every year to help feed neighbors in need of fresh food.

The program was spearheaded in 1995 by Anchorage Daily News garden columnist Jeff Lowenfels, who wrote a column encouraging his readers to plant extra crops and donate their harvests.

After seeing the impact that his column had on local food donations, Lowenfels partnered with GardenComm International, then known as Garden Writers of America, to enlist garden columnists all over the country to promote the cause in their own communities. Since then, more than 20 million pounds of produce, providing more than 80 million meals, have been donated through the campaign by home gardeners.

“All of this has been achieved without government subsidy or bureaucratic red tape — just people helping people,” according to organizers on the campaign’s website. And there’s no big advertising campaign, either — just garden columnists and their readers spreading the word.

If everyone reading this column planted one extra row and donated its harvest, together we could have an impact on hunger.

So what do you say?

To participate, plant an extra row or container (or, if you’re short on space or resources, even just one additional plant) and donate its harvest to your local food pantry, soup kitchen, house of worship or informally to a neighbor who could use it.

If you’d like to help even more, consider starting your own Plant a Row campaign with friends, neighbors or co-workers and plant individually or at the office, in a community garden, school garden, prison garden — whatever garden you have at your disposal.

If you need help getting started, GardenComm.org has posted steps for running your own campaign and a listing of existing campaigns to join in your state and town.

But it’s not necessary to join a group. To find food drop-off sites near you, visit AmpleHarvest.org and plug in your zip code.

Before dropping off food, call the organization to confirm they accept perishables (soup kitchens are generally more likely to have the refrigeration necessary for storage than pantries or food banks, but there may be exceptions).

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

Jesse Wahby and her husband Logan Reardon have been renting a home in St. Clair Shores for three years, giving them enough time to finish school and save for the down payment on a house.

Now that they’re ready to buy their dream home, the search has proven disappointing.

“We’ve been looking for five months,” said Wahby, a graduate of Michigan State University and a nurse practitioner. “We got married in September and want to find a home so we can start a family.”

Many of their friends are already homeowners.

“I feel like we’re kind of behind everyone else,” Wahby said, of her and her husband who are hoping to find a home in the New Baltimore or Chesterfield Township area. “We have a Jetski so we’re looking for something close to the water and near the expressway.”

Wahby said they’ve placed bids on two homes but lost them both to other buyers.

As with many buyers who have been looking over the winter months, Wahby is hoping spring brings a new crop of homes to the market.

Latest trends

It’s true what they say about winter being hard on the housing market.

“February is typically a slower month for home sales and that was the case again this year. A mix of several days of measurable snowfall, along with a few cold snaps, prompted some buyers to hit pause on their search,” said Jeanette Schneider, president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan. “Meanwhile, interest rates, tariff developments and broader economic factors continue to influence the timing decisions of both buyers and sellers to enter the market.

“As a result housing sales were down close to 12% across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.”

These factors have slowed home sales everywhere but with different results.

In some areas of the country, properties are staying on the market longer and that’s helping to grow inventory levels.

“Active buyers now have more homes to choose from and a little more time for decisions going into the spring market, a benefit last year’s buyers didn’t have,” Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp II Ltd. said, in a news release.

The housing market in Southeastern Michigan, however, is not experiencing that.

“Both Macomb and Oakland are seeing homes on the market averaging 37 days and there’s still an inventory issue,” said Schneider, following a review of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan’s annual housing report.

Other factors in the February report showed:

• The number of days on the market in Macomb County went from 31 days in 2024 to 37 days in February 2025, an increase of 19.4%

• Oakland County: 35 to 37, up 5.7%

• Wayne County: 36 to 41, up 13.9%

• Livingston County: 39 to 33, showing a drop of 15.4%

Livingston County was among the few areas to show an increase of 13.8% in the number of homes sold in February, going from 109 in 2024 to 124 in 2025.

Macomb County home sales were down by 10.4%, from 529 homes to 474.

Oakland County: 762 to 669, a drop of 12.2%

Wayne County: 1,132 to 970, drop of 14.3%

One trend that was consistent among all the counties in Southeastern Michigan was the median price of homes. All of the counties showed an increase with Wayne County seeing the highest increase at 15.2%, followed by Livingston at 9.9%, Macomb at 3.7% and Oakland County seeing an increase of 1.3%.

Schneider said there are currently 1,817 homes for sale in Macomb County.

Among the most popular areas for buyers are Sterling Heights, where median home prices are still around $310,000, Shelby Township at $353,500 and Clinton Township at $282,450. Among the cities still giving more bang for your buck is Warren, where homes average around $200,000.

Oakland County currently has 2,439 homes for sale.

The median prices for these areas showed:

• Rochester Hills at $438,000

• Pontiac $126,500

• Madison Heights $225,000

• Royal Oak $365,000

• Southfield $245,000.

These are the average prices for most existing homes.

Future trends

As for the average price on new home construction?

What might have been $400,000 in February and March could see a significant increase by spring and summer due to the tariffs.

“We get our drywall from Mexico, our lumber from Canada and our appliances from China,” Schneider said, of three countries that have been targeted by President Donald Trump’s tariff initiatives. “I’m already hearing that builders are adding language in the contracts that says prices may change.”

So, that would be one warning for home buyers.

Other tips would include:

• Reading the contract and be sure you are aware of the totals or changing prices.

• The National Association of Realtors also recommends working with a trusted real estate professional.

• Make a good offer because with a low-inventory market, yours is unlikely to be the only one on the table. Talk to your agent to be sure your offer is appealing to the seller.

• If you’re buying an existing home, factor in maintenance and repair costs for the first year. The NAR said lenders and insurance companies generally suggest setting aside 1% to 4% of a home’s value for annual maintenance costs. This will prevent your new home from deteriorating.

• Narrow down your search area so you can revisit listings that might include a cost reduction.

• Develop a wish list (see example the National Association of Realtors) and prioritize items that are most important, such as school districts and neighborhoods.

• Read the contract and be sure you are aware of the totals or changing prices.

Schneider also advises home buyers to be patient.

Patience and persistence are key to finding your dream home.

“I know it gets hard. It can be challenging and it wears on a person but, really, patience and persistence in the end will pay off,” said Schneider, who moved into a new home and knows exactly what buyers are going through.

Schneider said they put an offer in on a home they wanted and while they never heard back from the seller they never gave up. “We kept watching and they did a price reduction before Christmas when no one was watching, and we jumped on it,” she said, of her dream home on the water.

Schneider said they are seeing homes available in all price points.

However, sellers really need to price their homes appropriately.

“Nowadays, buyers are a lot more savvy,” Schneider said, noting what might have slipped by years ago no longer flies.

“We found a home in Chesterfield Township that we really liked,” Wahby said. “It was a beautiful house but they didn’t winterize the pool. It looked like a swamp.”

So, they crossed it off their list.

‘It’s discouraging,” Wahby said, but they remain hopeful that spring ushers in a new crop of houses.