For many families around Grand Traverse Bay, a trip to the grocery store has become a weekly exercise in subtraction.

This weekend, the Father Fred Foundation is asking neighbors to turn that strain into something practical: food on pantry shelves.

The Father Fred food drive runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 3, offering a timely boost for the Grand Traverse County food pantry.

The drive includes Tom’s and Oleson’s food markets in Traverse City and Interlochen, bringing the opportunity to help into familiar shopping routines.

Nonperishable items can also be dropped off at Fox Grand Traverse Ford and Williams Chevrolet.

Last year, the pantry recorded more than 15,000 visits and helped feed 47,000 people, a reminder that hunger is not a distant problem here.

Donations of shelf-stable groceries help keep everyday basics available for households that need breathing room.

Cash contributions fill another gap, allowing the foundation to purchase fresh eggs, milk, produce and meat.

Fresh food can be harder to collect in a typical drive, yet it is an important part of a useful pantry visit.

The foundation holds only two major food drives each year, in fall and winter, making this stretch especially consequential.

It does not receive state or federal funding, so the response from neighbors carries real weight.

For local residents, supporting the drive can be as simple as adding an extra nonperishable item to a shopping cart.

Others may prefer a financial gift that helps the pantry respond to changing needs and purchase perishables.

Either way, the impact stays close to home, reaching people in the community who may never say aloud that they need help.

If the pantry shelves are to stay ready, this week is a chance for the Grand Traverse Bay area to show up.