With Nearly One in Six Roseville Residents Food Insecure, Xiong Helps Bring New Mobile Pantry Closer to Home

State representative launched the recurring pantry after seniors told her transportation made it difficult to reach existing food assistance

ROSEVILLE, Mich., Oct. 27, 2026 — State Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren), who represents House District 13, covering parts of Warren, Roseville and St. Clair Shores, and Forgotten Harvest launched a new biweekly mobile food pantry yesterday near Eastland Senior Apartments, bringing free groceries within walking distance of seniors who have said they struggle to reach existing food assistance. The recurring pantry creates a new, reliable source of food in a city where Forgotten Harvest estimates nearly one in six residents are food insecure.

Xiong initiated the partnership after hearing from residents that many seniors lack reliable transportation to reach existing food assistance, while some do not have family members who can help them get there.

“I visited the senior apartment complex over the summer, and one of their biggest needs was fresh food and groceries. Unfortunately many of them live alone and don’t have family nearby. Many are also disabled and lack transportation,” Xiong said. “Food assistance doesn’t do much good if you can’t get to it. The community told us what they needed, and Forgotten Harvest had the experience and resources to help meet that need. I’m grateful they were willing to work with us to bring food directly into the neighborhood, not just for one day, but every other week, so seniors and families have somewhere nearby they can count on.”

Approximately 125 individuals making up 80 households used the pantry during its first distribution on Monday. The mobile pantry will return to the neighborhood every other week, creating a consistent source of food within walking distance for many seniors and other nearby residents. The pantry is open to everyone, with no appointment, preregistration or ID required. Distributions are held at Eastland Senior Apartments, 18330 Eastland St. in Roseville, with the mobile pantry located near the corner of Galloway and Delaware streets. It will be open next on Monday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Unlike a traditional prepacked food distribution, Forgotten Harvest’s mobile pantry allows guests to enter the truck using an accessible ramp, use a cart and choose the groceries they need. The pantry offers fresh produce, dairy, pantry staples and other groceries free of charge. 

Forgotten Harvest estimates that approximately 7,900 Roseville residents, 16.6% of the city’s population, are food insecure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as limited or uncertain access to adequate food. For seniors and other residents without reliable transportation, that problem can be made worse when existing food assistance is difficult to reach or available only during limited hours. Bringing a recurring pantry directly into the neighborhood helps remove one of those barriers and gives residents a dependable place nearby to get fresh food and groceries.

The need extends across Macomb County. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ June 2025 Green Book, 117,042 Macomb County residents received Food Assistance Program benefits that month, including 73,743 adults and 43,299 children. The state issued more than $21.1 million in food assistance benefits in Macomb County in June 2025. Those figures show the scale of food assistance used across the county even before transportation and other barriers to accessing food are taken into account.

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