MANISTIQUE — A Manistique business is working to give back to the community this holiday season.

Barr Team – Keller Williams Northern Michigan Peninsula Partners in Manistique launched its annual Blessing Baskets initiative.

The goal is to give back to the community by filling a laundry basket full of non-perishable items donated to the Schoolcraft County Veteran Affairs Office and the Manistique Senior Citizens Center.

“Since November is traditionally known as a month of gratitude, expressing gratitude this is our way locally, the Barr team at Keller Williams in Manistique, of expressing gratitude to our community by giving back a little bit,” said Realtor and Owner Julie Barr.

The initiative calls for the community to donate non-perishables to the Barr Team, which will compile the items in a laundry basket and donate them to the Schoolcraft County Veteran Affair Office and/or the Manistique Senior Citizens Center.

Barr said it would also make a great project for another business, class, or group to put together as a team.

The laundry baskets are available to pick up at the office located at 232 Cedar Street in Manistique.

This is the third year that Julie and her husband, Alan, are hosting the basket drive

Barr said donations are down compared to previous years, likely due to current economic conditions, but encourages those who can to participate in the initiative.

The list of requested items includes canned gravy, canned core, canned green beans, boxed stuffing, cranberry sauce, muffin mix, biscuit mix, canned yams, mashed potatoes, packaged mac and cheese, packaged/boxed desserts, paper products, and treats of your choice.

Barr is also accepting monetary donations as well as $20 Jack’s gift cards for turkeys.

“It’s a way for us to give thanks for our community for supporting our business and (we) wanted to put something back out into the community. And we feel like our seniors and our veterans deserve a little extra. In some cases this might be the only, you know, holiday meal that they might have provided,” Barr said.

The deadline for dropping off donations or baskets is Thursday, Nov. 21 by 4 p.m.

The donations can be dropped off at the Barr Team office located at 232 Cedar Street in Manistique.

For more information, email the office at barrteamclientcare@gmail.com or call at 906 286 4337.