mBank has pledged to underwrite three Mobile Food Pantry distributions — one each in Ishpeming, Manistique and Sault Ste. Marie — this summer.

The $9,500-plus contribution from mBank is being made to Feeding America West Michigan, which provides food to 160 local hunger-relief organizations across the Upper Peninsula.

“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Feeding America by again funding three distributions in our local markets this summer and supporting the incredible job they do helping to facilitate access to food across the Upper Peninsula, said Kelly W. George, mBank’s president and CEO in a news release. “Giving back to our local communities with contributions of time and financial support is a core part of our culture here at mBank, and this program is unquestionably worthwhile in the fight against hunger that some residents in our communities cope with daily.”

Ishpeming’s Mobile Pantry is scheduled from 9:30-11 a.m. today and will take place at the Ishpeming VFW. Manistique’s distribution is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 29 at the Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital. Sault Ste. Marie’s distribution is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at Big Bear.

As a company, mBank makes financial contributions in the areas of education, literacy, human services, animal welfare and healthcare. Food insecurity, as Feeding America West Michigan’s Sean Little points out, certainly fits the human services description, but it affects the wellbeing of a community much more broadly.

“When families struggle with the effects of hunger, it can be felt throughout the community,” Little said in the release. “Without partners like mBank who are willing to step up to the plate, we wouldn’t be able to continue putting food into neighborhoods in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula who desperately need it. We’re so grateful that mBank has chosen to support our mobile pantries once again.”

Each mobile pantry provides a variety of fresh produce, dairy products and baked goods and is open to anyone who finds themselves in need in the community. Mobile pantries in Ishpeming, Manistique and Sault Ste. Marie contain 20,000 pounds of food, enough to provide several days’ worth of groceries to 400 households.

We applaud mBank for stepping up and helping not one, but three Upper Peninsula communities. As Little said, when families struggle with the effects of hunger, it can be felt throughout the community.

On the flipside, providing much-needed food through these mobile pantries will help to strengthen the communities we live in, and that is a win-win for everybody.