Groundwork initiatives support emergency food providers, like pantries and meal sites, in the creation of healthier food environments by improving the nutritional quality of food available and by facilitating partnerships and contracts between farmers and food pantries. which increases the amount of fresh, healthy and local food available in those environments. We also work toward a more food secure region through our partnership with the Northwest Food Coalition, a network of about 70 food pantries, meal sites and baby pantries in northwest lower Michigan.

Participating in Building Healthy Communities and launching the Local Food Relief Fund have been two of our key initiatives.

Emergency food providers often operate with only a tiny amount of resources and limited control over what they are able to offer at their pantries and meal sites. Many sites are staffed entirely by volunteers, have no operating budget or money to purchase food, and rely entirely on donations from the community and/or rescued food from the grocery store. The large amount of inexpensive, but poor quality food in our industrial food system means that food pantries can often only afford to provide enough calories to feed people, let alone provide nutritious or locally grown food, which is often much more expensive and difficult to store than processed food. As pantries and meal sites seek to elevate the freshness and nutrient quality of their offerings, Groundwork helps connect them to the resources and support that can help them provide healthy, nutritious food to their clients.

Please contact Groundwork's Food Equity Specialist, Christina Barkel.