By K.D. Norris
There has always been hunger in the Wyoming and Kentwood area — and across the region, state, country and world, in fact. And there is a long list of groups big and small working to be part of the solution to the problem.
From the City of Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry to the Kent County Community Action, from local school districts to Wyoming’s United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM) and a score of other area churches and other private non-profit organizations, many groups have done their part and continue to do their part in this time of a COVID-19 unemployment surge.
The most far-reaching single group, however, is Feeding America West Michigan, which with the aid of the Michigan National Guard and Woodland Mall began weekly food distribution at the mall April 1.
The next Woodland Mall mobile pantry food distribution, from Feeding America’s Service Industry Workers Mobile unit, will be Wednesday, April 15, at 4 p.m., at 3195 28th St., Kentwood.
“Hunger is not new,” Molly Kooi, communication manager for Feeding America West Michigan, said this week to WKTV. “Before COVID-19, 1 in 8 people in our 40-county service area faced hunger. Now, many more people are in need of food assistance due to unemployment, school closings and a variety of other factors.”
Feeding America West Michigan (WM), part of Feeding America’s nationwide network of food banks, not only collects and directly distributes food but also works with many religious and non-profit groups. And they have some sobering statistics about the impact of COVID-19 on the food assistance need.
“We’ve seen a 235 percent increase in people searching for food assistance on our website,” Kooi said. “We’ve seen a 50 percent increase in the amount of food requested by our partner agencies. We’re spending $100,000 each week to keep up with the increased demand for food.”
The new distribution site at Woodland Mall is just one part of the group’s efforts, and one part of a much wider spectrum of emergency food providers. In the Wyoming and Kentwood area alone, food pantries supported by Feeding America include the East Paris Community Food Pantry, located at At-Tawheed Islamic Center and Mosque, on East Paris Avenue; Faith Reformed Church Food Pantry, on 44th Street SW; and Family Network, also on 44th.
What to expect if you’re seeking assistance
The first step for persons seeking food assistance — especially persons new to the system such, maybe recently out of work and seeking to support families — could be the regional Feeding America WM webpage FeedWM.org/findfood, Kooi said.
“There they will find a map making it easy for them to locate our partner agencies (red icons) and mobile food pantry sites (blue icons) near them,” she said. “If they don’t have access to the internet, they can call 2-1-1 or our office (616-784-3250) for assistance.”
And how does a person new to the system qualify and register for food assistance?
Some traditional food pantries have income limits, some have geographical limits and most have visit frequency limits (say, once a month). However, many may be changing how they are doing things due to COVID-19, Kooi said.
“I would tell a neighbor in need to first locate a food pantry near them and then reach out to that pantry’s director, or search their website, to learn what the requirements are,” she said.
Feeding America WM’s mobile pantries are hosted by organizations such as churches or schools, and provide fresh produce and other food to those in need, farmers’ market style, Kooi explained. All attendees are required to fill out a form asking for basic information like household size.
“Anyone in need can attend mobile pantries at any time and no one is turned away,” she said. “Due to COVID-19, all mobile pantries are providing drive-thru service at this time.”
Woodland Mall food distribution part of large network
The new mobile food pantry at Woodland Mall is a prime example of diverse organizations working together.
During the recent COVID-19 crisis, Feeding America has gained assistance from the Michigan National Guard at various locations including at the Woodland Mall mobile distribution.
One reason for the National Guard assistance is that Feeding America WM’s regular volunteer force, often older retired persons, has been directly impacted by safety concerns and stay-at-home orders.
But the local work is just a small part of the scope of Feeding America WM’s food bank collection and food distribution work.
The food bank currently owns 30 trucks, that drove about 418,000 miles in 2019, according to the organization. So many trucks and trips are needed because of the way our the organization works: “We reclaim safe, surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retail stores, and then distribute it to more than 800 partner agencies throughout West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula,” they state in supplied material.
Typically, more than 100 mobile food pantries are held each month across our 40-county service area. More than 99 percent of the donated food collected and distributes comes from large-scale food donors, with a small amount from community food drives.
Feeding America WM also delivers thousands of pounds of various food items to fixed food pantries and other hunger-relief agencies each month.
Where to go for support, to be part of the solution
For a complete list of Feeding America West Michigan’s mobile food pantries planned Kent County visits and locations, visit here.
For a map showing not only the locations of the mobile food pantry visits but also Wyoming and Kentwood partner locations, visit here.
To make a donation or offer support to Feeding America West Michigan, visit here.
For information about the Kent County Community Action food distribution program, visit here.
