Feeding America West Michigan achieves record distribution
Comstock Park — Mother Teresa once said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
Feeding America West Michigan has proven that every drop counts when it comes to combatting hunger in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula
Those drops, in the form of 348 food donors and 1,811 volunteers working 20,994 volunteer hours, have allowed the organization to increase its food distribution in the U.P. by almost a third year over the course of a year — distributing 3.1 million pounds of food in 2016 increased from 2.2 million pounds of food distributed in 2015.
That’s 24 million meals, according to the release.
The support is urgently needed, as one in eight people in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula struggles to put food on the table.
The nonprofit hunger relief organization provided a total of 28.9 million pounds of food and household goods to its network of food pantries, soup kitchens, child hunger agencies and partner food banks a 6.1 percent increase over 2015.
“This is now the fourth year in a row that we’ve been able to provide a record amount of food to people in need,” said Feeding America West Michigan CEO Ken Estelle. “I’m incredibly proud of the work our team has done to make this happen. Not only our staff, but also our donors, volunteers and agency partners.”
The organization credits the increase — in large part — to a revamped strategy for serving the Upper Peninsula and other rural areas, according to the FAWM news release.
Branch warehouses in Sault Ste. Marie and Ishpeming were closed in March 2016 in favor of the new distribution model.
The new process allows for distribution in three different methods, direct delivery to hunger relief agencies, depot deliveries where multiple agencies place large-scale orders together and collect the food at a central location, and mobile food pantries which provide food directly to clients.
“That strategy aims to provide food directly to far-flung rural communities through its Mobile Food Pantry program and shipments to partner agencies,” the release stated.
Schools, businesses and churches across the U.P. have joined together to meet the need.
“That collaboration is on full display in Ishpeming where Feeding America West Michigan’s monthly Mobile Food Pantry is hosted by CrossBridge Church and run by volunteers from Gauthier Insurance, the VFW and Ishpeming High School,” the release stated.
Healthy food remains a priority for the organization, with 2016 marking the second year in a row that fruits and vegetables accounted for 40 percent of the product the organization distributed.
“As a food bank, we have a responsibility to the families we serve to make sure they have access not just to calories but to food that’s truly nourishing and sustaining,” Estelle said.
Much of Feeding America West Michigan’s fresh produce, dairy products and other healthy, perishable foods are distributed directly to clients through its Mobile Pantry program.
Boosted by grant funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Mobile Pantry program grew by 10.2 percent in 2016, providing a total of 11.8 million pounds of food at 1,743 distributions.
As the grant period comes to a close, Feeding America West Michigan is seeking new donors to ensure that those mobile pantry distributions continue in 2017.
The organization is also seeking volunteers to help with the distribution of food.
“We invite anyone, whether they’re an individual, a business owner or a church group, to consider volunteering at a mobile pantry,” Estelle said. “When you see the impact your time and your gifts can have on local families, it’s really incredible.”
The next mobile pantry distribution for Marquette County is scheduled for 8 a.m. Feb. 2 at the Cross Bridge Church, 119 N. Third St., in Ishpeming.
The FAWM food pantry schedule can be found on www.feedwm.org/findfood.
Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.