Eden Lutheran Church has officially opened its free store on Thursday, Nov. 16. The free store is a place where those in need can obtain various non-edible products like cleaning supplies, sanitary products and more.

There is no financial requirement to use the free store, but households are asked to share some information on size of the family and financial data to help apply for grants in the future. Shoppers then will be able to complete a shopping list of various items like paper products, cleaners, soaps and baby needs if the household has children of that age. A volunteer “shopper” will then assemble the items, and have them bagged and ready to go.

The model comes from the Bethany Lutheran Church in Escanaba, which is the same denomination as Eden Lutheran. The church opened up their operations to organizers from Munising, even sharing relevant paperwork to help make the startup run as efficiently as possible. The free store also talked with other local programs, like food pantries, to make sure that there was no duplication of services. “We made sure that we weren’t going to be stepping on any toes, because these aren’t items that they can pass out,” said Jennifer Wood, Eden church council member and one of the organizers of the free store.

According to Wood, the store has been in the works for months, starting with originally working with the church council on how to make sure the congregation and church were addressing the needs of the community.

“The church council wanted to make sure the church was relevant to the community. We had heard that Bethany Lutheran was doing this, and so we brought it to the council and everyone thought it was a good idea,” Wood said.

The free store is expected to be open once a month for the rest of 2023 with the possibility of moving up to twice a month if needed. The next time the store will be open is Thursday, Dec. 21 from 12-3 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. at the church.

According to Wood, cash donations are preferred due to better purchase power in bulk and through a non-profit entity, but donations of items are also accepted. Those interested in donating are welcome to call the church office at (906) 387-2520.