LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Coronary heart and Fingers Meals Pantry has operated out of the First Baptist Church of Eaton Rapids for 21 years. Now, they’re being evicted.
Phillip Bombrys is the board president for Coronary heart and Fingers meals pantry and says they requested to fulfill with management on the church earlier than the eviction was served, however the church declined.
Phillip Bombrys. (WLNS)
“They don’t want to meet with us they don’t want to talk to us probably because they’re ashamed of what they’re doing,” he stated.
Coronary heart and Fingers purchases a few of their meals by a program backed by the USDA. To ensure that them to take part on this program, they should comply with sure guidelines, one in every of which says the pantry can’t interact in explicitly non secular actions.
Due to this, the church says their missions now not align, in keeping with Coronary heart and Fingers.
“The church no longer feels we are a Christian-based organization,” stated Bombrys. “And they want us out of the building.”
Bombrys argues these have all the time been their insurance policies and they’re a Christian-based group — which hasn’t modified within the 21 years they’ve operated. He stated they’ve discovered a spot to relocate to, nevertheless it will not be prepared till Jan. 1. After they requested to remain on the church till then, he says they have been advised no.
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“It just can’t be done overnight so realistically for the time they give us notice we’re asking for only a six-month period to get out,” he stated.
The pantry stated they serve round 150 households each month and Bombrys is nervous about the place they could go.
“Our clients are all worried about if they’re going to continue to get food because if we shut down, they get nothing. That’s 150 families a month that’ll be affected during the holiday season,” he stated.
Coronary heart and Fingers stated they’ll proceed to serve households in want so long as they can. The following courtroom date within the eviction course of is Oct. 30. The pantry stated they are going to proceed preventing to remain till they can relocate.
6 Information has reached out to the First Baptist Church of Eaton Rapids for remark, however we’ve got not but heard again. We are going to replace you after we do.
