Tarence Wheeler is all about giving back. The Detroit native has experienced success in many areas of his life, but where he thrives the best is being a helping hand. As the CEO and founder of the Tarence Wheeler Foundation, he has changed the city of Detroit, providing Thanksgiving turkeys, mentoring young people, and helping others build positive relationships in their community.
With the Mobile Food Pantry, Wheeler has created another initiative to help the community.
Tell us about the Mobile Food Pantry.
At the Mobile Food Pantry, we’ve passed out over 12 million meals in the last three and a half years. On the first Wednesday of every month, we pass out pet food in conjunction with food, and what you have is a combination of people who are falling on hard times, you also have the working poor, and the working poor make too much money to get help, [but] not enough to survive. It’s about serving with empathy and having young people out here understand that we have to pay it forward and that it could be any of us at any given time. We have young, old, White, Black, able-bodied, and disabled all in line trying to make sure they [can] take care of their families. The most desperate person is a dangerous person. At the end of the day, how do we serve people with empathy and compassion, but more importantly, they leave us greater than when they came? There’s no grocery store down here. There’s no bank, there [are] no dentists, so if we don’t show up, people don’t eat.
What time do you start and where are people traveling from to get here?
We’re here every Wednesday at 9 in the morning, but people are lined up as early as 6 [a.m.] because the need is great. They come from Ypsilanti, from Monroe, from Taylor as well as River Ruse to get service and they know that we’re out here whether it’s raining or snowing, and it doesn’t matter because we’re here to serve the people.
How do your community partners get involved?
Wayne Metro and the Forgotten Harvest come every week for us to help pass out food to those who are here. You can also give me a call at 313-819-0040.
