In this 2002 photo, the sun sets over the Mackinac Bridge, which connects the upper and lower peninsulas, at Michigan’s Mackinac Straits. Taste the Local Difference on Monday announced a new partnership with Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension to help Michiganders find and connect with local fish producers in their regions. (AP photo)

MARQUETTE — Many businesses that depend on Great Lakes aquaculture and are struggling to remain viable through the COVID-19 pandemic now have a new avenue for relief.

Taste the Local Difference on Monday announced a new partnership with Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension to help Michiganders find and connect with local fish producers in their regions.

To help address challenges from the ongoing pandemic, MISG, which focuses on the protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes and coastal resources, applied for and received a $100,000 COVID-19 rapid response grant from the National Sea Grant Office.

A portion of these funds were allocated to connect Great Lakes fish producers directly with consumers in partnership with TLD.

With support from MSU Extension and MISG, fisheries are now searchable on TLD’s Find Food and Farms online directory. The new fisheries directory will create new opportunities for other TLD partners, such as restaurants and retailers, looking to work with local fisheries.

“Thanks to the support from our partners at MSU Extension and Michigan Sea Grant, we now can offer free and affordable marketing services to all of Michigan’s fish producing businesses,” said Alex Palzewicz, TLD’s Upper Peninsula local food coordinator, in a news release. “Considering this past year, it feels good to offer this service to partners for little or no cost.”

Dr. Lauren Jescovitch, extension educator for MSU Extension and MISG, said in a news release, “As COVID-19 shapes how consumers buy food, this partnership allows them to locate and connect with local resources and seafood in a way that hasn’t been easily available up to now.”

To locate fish producers in an area, visit localdifference.org and click on the fisheries icon, then enter the zip code, choose a mile radius to search and click “filter results.”

One of the producers listed is Thill’s Fish House Inc., located at 250 E. Main St. in Marquette.

COVID grants awarded

The Michigan Community Service Commission on Monday announced $200,000 in grant awards to nonprofit organizations to aid COVID-19 response and recovery.

The commission will partner with 13 organizations to launch the Michigan Community Resilience Program. The initiative will focus on making an impact during the COVID-19 response and recovery by expanding volunteerism and increasing the efficiency, effectiveness and geographic reach of organizations throughout the state.

One of the recipients is Grow & Lead: Community and Youth Development, based in Marquette. GLCYD provides organizations with expertise, training and resources to help youth thrive in the Upper Peninsula, according to its website at glcyd.org.

“We want to tap into Michiganders’ grit and determination to help others and start a volunteer movement,” MCSC Executive Director Ginna Holmes said in a statement. “We want to ensure we collaborate across the state and that organizations have the tools and resources to support local efforts.”

The program will provide:

≤ Technology resources that assist individuals and organizations to address community issues and connect with nonprofits through volunteering and donating.

≤ Support for youth to be engaged with developing solutions to address challenges.

≤ Training and technical assistance for nonprofits as they continue to respond to the pandemic.

≤ Inspiration for Michiganders to be involved in the path forward by celebrating individuals and organizations who have been making a difference in their communities.

The funding for this program comes through a Volunteer Generation Fund grant from AmeriCorps.

Aspirus offering vaccinations

Aspirus Health announced it is offering COVID-19 vaccinations on weekdays at Aspirus Ontonagon Clinic, 601 S. 7th St., in Ontonagon.

The clinics offer the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in teens ages 16 and 17.

“These clinics are a great opportunity for individuals and teens who would like the COVID-19 vaccine to get access,” said Erin Hinton, manager of clinics for Aspirus, in a news release. “We are excited to offer the vaccine to our community.”

Vaccinations through the clinic are available by appointment only and will be limited to about 20 people daily from Monday through Friday. To register, individuals can call the clinic at 906-884-8000 during business hours and select option No. 1. Anyone under the age of 18 will need to have parental consent and have a parent present at the time of vaccination.

Aspirus urges everyone to sign up through any available vaccinator if they have yet to be vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines, it said, are safe and effective at preventing illness and the most severe symptoms associated with COVID-19. They also provide added protection against variant strains of COVID-19, which are on the rise.

Those who live in Aspirus’ service area in the U.P. can directly schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments through the MyAspirus patient portal or app. Appointment requests can also be made without a MyAspirus account by visiting aspirus.org/vaccine or by calling the Aspirus COVID-19 call center at 1-844-568-0701 or 715-843-1454. Appointments are offered based on vaccine supply and availability may vary by location.

To date, Aspirus has provided more than 51,000 first- and second-dose vaccinations to eligible community members.

‘Be a #VaccineHero’

UP Health System staff members have shared the reasons why they chose to receive the COVID-19 vaccines and become “vaccine heroes” in a video available on YouTube.

“There’s so much we have missed over this last year, and the #COVID19 vaccines are our best hope yet to putting this pandemic behind us,” UP Health System – Marquette announced.

The Vaccine Hero video is available for viewing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Survey results released

Community college students are facing increased financial, mental and emotional strain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey from the Michigan Community College Association.

“Michigan community college students have dealt with their fair share of struggles during this pandemic,” said Erin Schor, vice president of the MCCA, in a news release. “The past year has left our students struggling, both financially and mentally. The results of this survey show that students need our support now and into the future.”

The Student Financial Wellness Survey was conducted last fall by Trellis Research, with more than 10,000 responses from Michigan’s community college students. According to the survey, 86% of students said COVID-19 has added to their level of stress, anxiety or depression.

“Nearly nine in 10 community college students reported increased stress, anxiety or degression during this pandemic,” said Erica Orians, executive director of the Michigan Center for Student Success, in a news release. “These students’ responses give us a good understanding of why they may be feeling so much stress and where extra support is needed.”

Additional survey findings showed that:

≤ 78% of students work 20 or more hours a week.

≤ 56% of students would have trouble getting $500 cash or credit to meet an unexpected expense.

≤ 48% of students indicate that it is important to them to support their family financially while in school.

≤ 44% of students show signs of housing insecurity.

≤ 42% of students find their total debt amount to be overwhelming.

≤ 21% of students show signs of very low food security, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture scale.

In early 2020, MCCA launched the Michigan — Building Economic Stability Today initiative to provide support to community colleges to meet the non-academic needs of students. These efforts have been amplified to ease the struggles experienced by students as a result of the pandemic.

“Michigan’s community colleges are going above and beyond to help students cope and succeed during these unprecedented times,” said Precious Miller, coordinator of MI-BEST, in a news release. “As we wrap up Community College month, we’re reminding students to take advantage of the resources that are available at their college.”