Livingston County Hunger Council’s Community Programs Fight Child Hunger

Two key community collaborations result in 13,000 pounds of fresh produce and over 13,000 meals for hungry area families and children.

The Livingston County Hunger Council may have earned Livingston County distinction as the first hunger-free county in Michigan, but that doesn’t mean that the work is done.  Creating and supporting a local food system that allows all residents to thrive requires the on-going dedication and commitment of organizations, businesses, local government, schools, churches and individuals – working together.  Two high-quality summer programs are just wrapping up, and serve as examples of what can be accomplished when dedicated people come together and focus on the needs of the community.

The Summer Lunch Bunch program was established to ensure that children in our community who receive free and reduced lunches during the school year, do not experience a food gap in the summer.  The 8-week program, led by The Salvation Army, offered weekly lunches at 6 host sites throughout the community.  At the lunch, families participate in fun activities provided by many community partners, and then each child receives a food pack intended to help them build up to 6 additional lunches.  This ensures that the family has needed support to feed their children throughout the summer.  The 2014 program provided 13,332 meals in all.

This past summer, another collaboration, the Community Garden program, hosted 14 garden sites whose sole purpose was to provide produce to families in need.  Some of the produce is distributed through Gleaners and the food pantry network.  Other garden produce directly supports community food programs, such as the Summer Lunch Bunch food packs and the annual Backpack Give Away & Kids Connect event.  Garden produce was also placed on several food carts throughout the county where families can just go and get what they need.  Over 13,000 pounds of quality fresh produce were distributed this summer, providing many local families healthier food choices.

Both of these outstanding programs require significant contributions from the community – donations, host site partners, programming partners, the support of local media, as well as many, many volunteers.  Combined, the programs were supported by over 800 volunteers who dedicated 3,600 hours of service, representing over $80,000 in value.

These and many other local programs are supported by the Livingston County Hunger Council, with funding from Livingston County United Way and other community donors.  The Council works to provide for the nutritional needs of all, support local agriculture, and advocate for policies which support the local food system.  If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Hunger Council and making a difference in our community, please contact Livingston County United Way at 810-494-3000.