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TROY – Local food pantry Ministries Unlimited hopes to build a new building soon, but in the meantime, they’re serving the Troy community with heart and compassion.
Ministries Unlimited started in 1978 as a homebound Bible ministry. They quickly realized the families they were serving needed additional help during the holidays, so they created Christmas baskets to share with these community members. As the need grew, the organization became a full-fledged food pantry located in Troy that serves Troy, St. Jacob and Marine.
“We’re looking at expanding again because we’ve outgrown our current space. It’s great because we’re just expanding what we’re offering to the community,” said Director of Operations Kathy Scheller. “We work with [people] as long as they want to come to us. We have families that come to us only during the holidays. We have families that come to us once a month. We have families that come to us every week. It just depends on what their needs are.”
The pantry operates from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday and 2–6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Community members can call to schedule a shopping appointment.
There are no income requirements to utilize the pantry. You will fill out an application so the pantry can collect some demographic information, which they use to apply for grants. They also collect birthdays of your household members so they can help you celebrate these dates if desired. But Scheller emphasized that anyone who comes to the pantry will receive the food they need.
Currently, the community completely supports the pantry through donations. While Scheller is grateful for this support, she explained that grants will become more important as they prepare to break ground on their new building. They have purchased the land and hope to start construction by late next year.
“We’re totally funded, 100%, by community and business donations,” she explained. “It’s really huge. But as we’re looking to build this new building, we’re going to need some grants. I don’t expect the community to totally fund what we’re looking at to build. We’re talking $1.8 million to build a new building. That’s a huge price tag.”
In the meantime, you can donate to Ministries Unlimited to help them continue their work in the community. Visit their official website for information about how to donate, or mail a check directly to their location at 310 Collinsville Road in Troy.
Scheller noted that these donations are especially vital as the holidays approach. They currently have 175 families in need of Christmas baskets, and she expects at least another 20 emergency cases to arise before Christmas.
While local food drives will provide Ministries Unlimited with an “influx of items” in the next month, they also need to raise $70,000 for their 2026 operating costs in addition to fundraising for the new building.
“We’re trying to raise $70,000 just to get our operating costs for next year. We run out of money by the end of the year, so anything helps,” she said. “100% of your donations, it goes totally back into the organization. Nobody receives a salary here, not even me. It’s 100% volunteer-based.”
Scheller expressed her appreciation for the community’s help and emphasized the volunteers’ dedication to feeding Troy, St. Jacob and Marine families. She added that they are always looking for more volunteers and donors.
For more information about Ministries Unlimited, including how to help or how to receive services, visit their official website at MinistriesUnlimited.org.
