In West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, food insecurity affects 1 in 8 people and 1 in 7 children. Defined as “unreliable access to affordable, nutritious food,” this widespread issue does not discriminate. Despite myths and stigma surrounding food insecurity, data shows that people of varied socioeconomic status and background may struggle with food insecurity at some point in their lives.
Feeding America West Michigan recently received a grant from the Superior Health Foundation (SHF) to create a program increasing food education in the Upper Peninsula. With help from the Marquette Food Co-op and the NMU Center for Rural Health, a collection of recipes will be created using common items provided by Feeding America West Michigan mobile food pantry. The printed recipes will then be distributed at mobile pantry sites. There will also be cooking demonstrations, both recorded and in-person, teaching individuals how to use the ingredients and make nutritious meals.
“This grant Feeding America West Michigan recently received from the Superior Health Foundation is funding a project which gives us the opportunity to expand horizons when it comes to preparing meals,” said Joseph Jones, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships for Feeding America West Michigan. “By supplying individuals with recipes and demonstrations, we are expanding what people know about food and the ways they think to utilize items they may not be familiar with. In doing so, they are forming foundational support to be able to control their own food security.”
Feeding America West Michigan has been running mobile food pantries since 1998. It is one of 200 food banks in Feeding America’s nationwide network and is one of seven member food banks located in Michigan. Its service area spans from the Indiana border north through the western half of the state and extends throughout the entire Upper Peninsula.
The mobile food pantry program has been growing significantly independent of receiving funds from Superior Health Foundation (SHF). According to Jones, the increase of participants in the U.P. program has been close to 50% in the last two years.
“Throughout all of the work that we do, there are people who don’t know what to do with the food they are receiving,” Jones said. “It’s not uncommon in the fall for there to be cabbage distributed. If people only know how to make coleslaw, how much of that do you really want to eat? You need a range of options of what to do with the food products that are being received.”
When the opportunity was presented to apply for the SHF grant, Jones looked towards two beacons in the regional health community for assistance: Elise Bur, Director of the NMU Center for Rural Health, and Sarah Monte, Outreach Coordinator for the Marquette Food Co-op. The three teamed up to bring the grant to life. Monte will take on the educational aspect of recipe creation, coordination of the cooking demonstrations and printing recipe cards. Bur will be coordinating the filming of the cooking demonstrations and assisting at some of the distribution sites throughout the year.
“A lot of people aren’t taught to cook, it doesn’t matter what your background or socioeconomic status is,” Monte said. “We want to make sure everyone has access to food education no matter where they are getting their food. At these demonstrations, we are hoping people will engage and ask questions while learning how to cook food with us.”
The recipe cards will include a QR code that people can scan to view the recorded cooking demonstration for that particular recipe. This QR code will lead to the NMU Center for Rural Health website, which will house the recorded cooking demos of the recipes. Demonstrations will also be done in person at mobile food distribution sites all across the region. Three in-person demos will happen at seven locations throughout the 2022 season. People will be able to taste food, engage with the cook, and ask questions.
Myths surrounding food insecurity are a reason those in need choose not to take advantage of assistance, but there are many barriers to access here in the U.P. that affect all Yoopers equally. The region is the end of the truck run for almost any distribution company, which makes it less profitable. Living in small, isolated communities increases distribution difficulty. Monte said an important piece of improving this issue is finding ways organizations can work together to increase food access through shared distribution networks and increasing the local food system supply.
“The more we can tie in the whole local system that produces our food, and the more we can provide people with the skills to grow their own food, the better,” she said. One of those most common myths associated with food insecurity is that it only affects unemployed people. Finances are another barrier presented by systematic and infrastructure downfalls.
“Inflation and the rising cost of living are impacting everyone. People can be working and still have tremendous financial stress that affects their food budget,” Monte said.
While these financial aspects may not be quickly solved, the infrastructure needs to be addressed, with systems being created that benefit everyone. Monte added that food education needs to be a two prong effort: we need to know how to make delicious food with what’s available to us and focus on gardening and agriculture education. Part of what Feeding America West Michigan is looking to accomplish with the SHF grant is creating a “fun atmosphere” for food education. Jones said these demonstrations can broaden the crowd of people who are interested, familiar with, and engaged with this type of work.
“I think the volunteers are going to get just as much from it as the clients,” he said.
Jones has been with Feeding America West Michigan since 2018. He holds a doctoral degree in American Studies focused on U.S. environmental history and a skill set dealing with critical analysis, reading, and research. He wanted to use these skills in a way that is purposeful. To Jones, helping people meet the basic needs of life speaks to that and to the overall mission of Feeding America.
"Our world is better if people are doing well in meeting the basic needs of life," he said. "To spend my time working to make sure that is the case, this benefits me, my community, and the whole system to be able to function.”
Creating more accessible food education is one step in improving food insecurity in the Upper Peninsula. Working on other issues, such as transportation, wages, and capacity to local food are also important pieces. Work being done by local organizations such as Marquette Food Co-op, U.P. Food Exchange, Food Start U.P., and the NMU Center for Rural Health are having a positive effect on these issues. Jones and Monte agree that while this forward momentum regionally is hopeful, legislative efforts must be made to address the issue at the state and federal level. This includes finding ways to subsidize local stores to be able to source in a way that currently only large corporate stores can source.
“It doesn't have to be this way,” Jones said. “It doesn't have to be that if you buy it in Grand Rapids it costs one amount, but then if you have to buy it in Manistique it costs a different amount. That’s a choice that we are making as a society, and I think we have to address that through policy.”
Monte added that everyone deserves access to quality food, and working together to make that a reality can only benefit the common good. “You can make choices that make a difference for others and can recognize others' agency in improving their situation while also understanding that we are all in this together,” she said.
Recipes and demonstrations are estimated to be live in June 2022. For more information on Feeding America West Michigan, including a mobile food pantry schedule, visit their website.
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The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health seeks to improve the health and well-being of Upper Peninsula residents and communities by developing collaborative partnerships that enhance the access and availability of affordable, quality healthcare services. For questions or comments related to this story, contact ruralhealth@nmu.edu.