For the families of the pantry’s namesakes, Roger Luna and Ryan Martus, two Flint police officers and friends who passed away in 2002, the pantry is a way to carry on their legacy of service. Other volunteers have found their own connection to that legacy, and they keep coming back. 

“Our mission is to help the community,” said Art Luna, director of the pantry. “That’s what they would like.” 

Together, they serve more than 1,000 people a month on Flint’s south side, and in recent weeks, that number has been climbing. 

Shortly after the tragedy in 2002, family and friends formed the Martus Luna Memorial Foundation. In 2013, they started food giveaways and evolved the organization into its own dedicated food pantry. 

The organization grew through the Flint water crisis, established a space on Lewis Street, and later moved to its newly renovated location on Fenton Road. 

How it Works

The Martus Luna Food Pantry is a selective pantry. Instead of handing out pre-packed boxes, volunteers let visitors walk through and choose what they’ll use: canned goods, dried beans, meat, eggs, milk, bread, and produce from local farmers. Less food goes to waste, and limits keep the shelves stocked for everyone who comes through. 

“There’s three, four different kinds of pasta at any given moment, but they can pick one, so they gotta make a decision,” said Scott Tucker, who handles purchasing and ordering for the pantry. 

Local partnerships help keep the pantry full. As an agency of the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, the pantry stocks much of its food through the food bank. Three nearby Dollar General stores call when a freezer or cooler goes down, and volunteers pick up what would otherwise be lost. 

“We get ice cream and pizza and everything,” said Luna. “They get good choice.” 

The pantry also responds when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or local pastors call about someone who needs help right away. 

“We’ll come in, and we’ll make something up for somebody who’s just in a spot,” Luna said. 

At the end of a distribution, leftover bread, sweets, and produce go to Carriage Town Ministries, which serves hot meals daily. “Nothing goes to waste,” Tucker said. 

The Community Foundation of Greater Flint has been a partner, too, supporting the pantry with grants over the years, including through the Urgent Relief Fund in 2020. During the pandemic, volunteers moved distributions outdoors and served about 400 families a week.  

In addition to food, clients can also choose clothing, diapers, and other household items. 

Who They Serve 

When the pantry operated on Lewis Street on Flint’s east side, many of the people in line were driving in from across the area. Their new space on Fenton Road is closer to where the volunteers noticed a gap.  

“There’s more need over here,” Luna said. 

The organization is the only food pantry on Flint’s south side, and the move puts it within walking distance for many of its visitors. 

The pantry is open to anyone in Michigan. Visitors used to need a Genesee County zip code, but that rule changed last year, and volunteers now see people from Detroit and Imlay City alongside neighbors who walk over from down the street. Visitors include families from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. 

“Don’t care where you come from,” said Luna. “If you’re in line, if you need food, we give it to you.” 

About five volunteers speak Spanish, so many visitors can shop in their first language. Volunteers say people light up when someone at the table can talk with them, instead of having to write something down on a piece of paper to communicate. 

The Current Need 

Last year, the Martus Luna Food Pantry served 6,607 families, a total of 19,806 people.  

In recent weeks, the line has grown. Thursdays usually bring 80 to 90 families. One recent Thursday brought 112, and that week’s Tuesday brought 135. 

“Thursday, we were out of produce. We were out of sweets. We were out of milk. We were out of eggs,” Tucker said. 

Volunteers point to several pressures arriving at once. Federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest food assistance program, have left more than 167,000 people in Michigan, including more than 53,000 children, without their benefits. Sylvia McCown, a board member, tracks visitors who have lost benefits. Many have been reinstated, she said, but at much lower amounts. 

Gas prices add to the strain. As of October 9, Michigan drivers paid an average of $4.62 a gallon for regular unleaded, up from $2.98 a year earlier, according to AAA, and volunteers say higher fuel costs push up grocery prices, too. They’ve also seen new visitors arrive after other area pantries closed. 
 
“It’s not quite the level it was during COVID, but it’s getting there again,” McCown said. 

A Family of Service 

As the line grows, the family behind the pantry keeps showing up. About 15 family members volunteer regularly, from aunts and cousins to grandchildren who pitch in over the summer, and only one person, a part-time secretary, is paid. 

Others have found their way into the organization, too, like Kamaria Thema. 

“They asked me to help out during the summer last year, and I never went away,” she said. “It just puts a smile on my face to see [the clients] smile.” 

Tucker spent more than a year renovating the building alongside the family and is always driving around the community, finding the best deals and products for the clients. 

“I grew up in a Quaker house,” he said. “You help who you can, when you can, how you can.” 

What’s Next 

Volunteers’ next big goal is a walk-in refrigerator and freezer, which would let them buy meat and other perishables in bulk when prices drop. They’re also hoping to replace the flooring and renovate more of the building. 

The pantry welcomes new volunteers, especially younger ones, as well as monetary donations and grant writers willing to donate their time. Coats and winter clothing are welcome for a free clothing giveaway planned for late October. Distribution dates are posted on the pantry’s Facebook page, and anyone who wants to help can call 810-337-1262. 

“We’re here today, we’ll be here tomorrow, we’ll be here on weekends,” said Luna. “That’s our life, just helping people.”