By C.J. Carnacchio

Oxford Leader Editor

Oxford-Orion FISH continues to seek a buyer or tenant for its former food pantry.

Located at 487 First St. in Thomas, the building is listed for $69,900. Thomas is a little unincorporated village located east of M-24 in the northern part of Oxford Township near the Lapeer County line.

Last October, FISH moved its pantry operation into a 5,000-square-foot facility located at 1060 S. Lapeer Rd., just south of Drahner Rd. The old pantry building, which is still used by FISH for special purposes, has been on the market since January.

Built in 1949, the two-level building contains approximately 3,800 square feet of space. The upper level is 1,974 square feet, which includes a large open space, restroom and coat room. The lower level contains three offices, a large open space and utility room. There is a wheelchair ramp leading into the building.

“The building is in very good condition,” said FISH Treasurer Randy Gower. “It’s been well-maintained.”

The property is zoned for single-family residential use.

FISH is hoping to sell the building and put the proceeds toward providing free groceries to its clients, which include families, individuals and senior citizens, who are living on low or fixed incomes, or who have fallen on hard times due to job loss, illness and other personal crises.

But if a buyer cannot be found, Gower said FISH is open to the idea of leasing some space to another nonprofit, while continuing to maintain a presence there.

“We could still use part of that building if we found a partner to share some of the expenses,” he said.

According to Gower, FISH would want a potential nonprofit tenant to pay a percentage of the building-related expenses based on the amount of floor space it uses.

“If they occupied half the building, we’d ask them to pay half the expenses,” he said.

Gower stressed FISH has “no desire” to turn a profit.

“We don’t want to make any money on it,” he said. “We’re just trying to minimize our expenses.”

Under such an arrangement, Gower said FISH could continue to use a portion of the old pantry for special events, such as when it collects and distributes Christmas gifts and new backpacks filled with school supplies to local children.

Having the extra space could also be used to help handle the “overflow” during FISH’s two big food drives in November and May. Gower said “it’s easier to manage two locations” than have one place get “overwhelmed” with donations and volunteers.

If the organization were to go the leasing route, Gower said the tenant would have to be a nonprofit, so FISH doesn’t lose the property tax exemption on the Thomas site.

The lease would also have to be approved by FISH’s board of directors to ensure the tenant is appropriate for that space and would not negatively impact the surrounding area.

“We don’t want to disrupt our neighbors. We want to be a good neighbor,” Gower said.

For more information about FISH’s former pantry building, please contact Gower at (248) 628-3933.