Tag Archives: Kids Food Basket

Johnny’s Markets unveils “The Giving Pump” to give consumers a chance to fill up for a good cause

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(Courtesy, Johnny’s Markets)



By WKTV Staff

greer@wktv.org



Today through September 30, drivers can visit a local Shell station and fill up at the designated fueling pump to support Kids’ Food Basket and South Michigan Food Bank-Kids’ Backpack Program.


Marshall-based Johnny’s Markets, owned by Walters-Dimmick Petroleum, is joining with Shell USA (Shell) on The Giving Pump as part of its Force For Good initiative to drive positive change in local communities by giving back. 


A portion of the purchases made by consumers who use the designated pump at 70 Shell stations across Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo will support the charities Kids’ Food Basket and South Michigan Food Bank, along with local schools and hospitals.

The Giving Pump will be specially marked with colorful signage at participating Shell gas stations to inspire consumers to fuel up and support two local food organizations: South Michigan Food Bank and Kids’ Food Basket. It’s easy to participate in the program, and it costs customers nothing extra.

South Michigan Food Bank — currently serving 33,000 meals a day across eight counties — works to eliminate hunger by providing healthy and nutritious food to those in need. This year’s donations from Giving Pump will go toward the nonprofit’s BackPack Program, which sends non-perishable meal packages home with students in low-income households, giving children access to food over the weekends and during school breaks. Each package contains enough food for seven meals.

 “Many may not realize it, but folks and food banks alike are under a lot of pressure right now,” said Peter Vogel, CEO of South Michigan Food Bank. “During the pandemic, there were plenty of funds flowing to organizations tackling food insecurity. In the past year, though, many of those resources have dried up while demand — the need for affordable food — in our communities remains elevated. The Giving Pump is coming at the perfect time to help these people, and we are blessed to have Johnny’s Markets’ support.”

Kids’ Food Basket’s mission is to nourish kids to reach their full potential. They work with the community to serve 10,000 nutritious evening meals to kids in four West Michigan counties every weekday. KFB is also home to two farms that not only serve as a classroom for STEM education, but also provide fresh produce directly back to the community.



(Kids’ Food Basket)



“Right now, the reality is that most food banks, like so many of the good people we serve, are trying to do a lot more with way less,” said Ashley Diersch, Vice President of Development at Kids’ Food Basket. “By teaming up with The Giving Pump, it gives everybody an opportunity to make an impact and really shows that everything — whether it’s one penny or a million — makes a difference.”

Johnny’s Markets brand, owned by Walters-Dimmick Petroleum, is home to more than 60 convenience stores and fuel stations across Michigan and Indiana. With the purpose of being a reliable source of goodness in the community, the company supports programs and events that help pave the path for young people to be successful.



(Courtesy, Johnny’s Markets)



“As an established member of the Western Michigan community, we believe we can do more by supporting local children’s organizations so that kids may receive what is needed to help them develop and succeed,” said J.P. Walters, President and CEO of Walters-Dimmick Petroleum. “We chose these charities for The Giving Pump because we want to continue growing our relationships with great organizations who support our communities, and there are no better examples of that than Kids’ Food Basket and South Michigan Food Bank.”


In addition to The Giving Pump, Walters-Dimmick has hosted an annual charity event called the Northern Classic for over 30 years, where 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to improve the lives of many in Western Michigan. In the past decade, the Northern Classic charity event has raised more than $1 million for multiple charities including Kids’ Food Basket, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund.

This year, more than 7,500 Shell stations across the US are participating in this two-month Giving Pump initiative to support 532 local charities. Those looking to find a participating station can visit shell.us/givingpump. Since 2021, Shell wholesalers and retailers donated over $4.6M and supported over 400 children’s charities through The Giving Pump.

To learn more about how you can join South Michigan Food Bank in taking a stand against hunger, visit smfoodbank.org. Visit kidsfoodbasket.org for more on Kids’ Food Basket programs, services and how you can make a difference. Visit shell.us/givingpump to find additional program details, participating sites and content about local charities. 

Kids’ Food Basket founder’s memoir about finding a purpose-driven life, inspiring others

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Mary K. Hoodhood (far left) with volunteers assembling dinners at the Kids’ Food Basket. (Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)


By K.D. Norris
WKTV Contributor


When you first glance at the book cover of Kids’ Food Basket founder Mary K. Hoodhood’s new memoir, you can read the title in at least two different ways.


You can see it as asking the question “What Can I Do,” as in resignation to the inability to tackle difficult social problems such as hunger among our youth.


But you can also see it as a call to action, personal action: “What I can do” to be part of the solution to such issues. The book was co-written with Lisa McNeilly, PhD.


The life story, so far, of “Mary K” as most people know her, is a testament to “doing what you can do” in one’s personal journey, even overcoming huge physical obstacles, to serve the community.


In Mary K’s life, serving the community, including founding Kids’ Food Basket (KFB), has been a driving force in moving her forward.  


“My upbringing and Catholic education helped me understand the importance of community and giving back,” Mary K. said to WKTV. “I was working at God’s Kitchen when I found out about kids not receiving an evening meal at home at the three GRPS (Grand Rapids Pubic Schools) schools KFB started with.





“I knew that this was an injustice, and it wasn’t the kids fault. I also knew that I could raise the money and get the volunteers to help.”



And raise the money, and get the volunteers/community/government support needed to run Kids’ Food Bank is exactly what she has done — this year, KFB sends 10,000 sack suppers to 60 schools across four counties every weekday.


Inspiring others to “Do what they can do,” that just came along naturally.



(WKTV/Katie Bogema)



Finding a calling after tragedy

In the introduction to “What I Can Do,” Mary K. dedicates the book to her husband, Jeff, with the words “My life is possible because of your love and devotion.”

And discussion in the book of her support network is an essential part of understanding her drive to serve the community as she overcame an automobile accident in her 20s that left her paralyzed from the chest down.


Instead of focusing on what she could no longer do, she states, she started repeating her mantra: “I will focus on what I can do.”


Successful before her accident, Mary K. Roach was born and raised in Grand Rapids and earned a degree in education from Michigan State University in 1973. One of her first jobs was working with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Michigan, working with high school and community college counselors as well as the Michigan legislature.


But then came May 1980 and a car accident that left her in a wheelchair, but not idle. She got married, helped raise a stepdaughter, took in her teenage nieces and nephew, and began volunteering for the Meals on Wheels program at God’s Kitchen, a local food pantry.



Mary K. Hoodhood with one of the dinner bags distributed by Kids’ Food Basket. (Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)



There she saw the need to feed not only seniors and adults, but also school-age youth triggered by a 2002 phone call from a local school principal to say that students were regularly going into the cafeteria after school in search of food to take home.


With $3,000 and a handful of volunteers, she committed to seeking a solution to childhood hunger in our community and Kids’ Food Basket was founded.


“Many volunteers from God’s Kitchen followed me to KFB,” Mary K. said, and the group began feeding 125 meals a day. “What I didn’t anticipate is how much KFB has grown to increase access to good food for kids.”


The first big growth in 2008 and 2009

“There was a recession and we expanded our services outside GRPS to where there was need. I knew our numbers would increase and we would grow,” she said.


With the growth and recognition of Kids’ Food Basket, Mary K. has gained local, regional and national recognition, including being named one of The Grand Rapids Business Journal 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan in 2018.


(Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)


But KFB is and will always be closest to her heart. She is past Chair and current member of the Kids’ Food Basket Board of Directors, and volunteers many hours every week, focusing on fund development and public relations, but also sometimes just working the line putting together “dinner” bags. 


That growth has led Kids’ Food Basket to becoming one of the largest non-profits in West Michigan, with staff and leadership carrying it into the future.


“Mary K.’s motto to ‘Do what I can do’ is one of many driving forces behind everything that we have built at Kids’ Food Basket,” Bridget Clark Whitney, President and Founding CEO of Kids’ Food Basket, said to WKTV.


“Food insecurity is a very real concern, and breaking down the barriers to good food access can feel overwhelming. At KFB, we create a space where people can make a real impact, one step at a time. Packing a single Sack Supper is easy, and together across three locations, it adds up to 10,000 healthy evening meals each school day.”


(Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)


What can you do?

Community volunteering and financial support has been a key factor in the growth and success of Kids’ Food Basket. Many people, it seems, believe in the title of Mary K.’s book — doing “What I Can Do.”


To find out what you can do, visit the Kids’ Food Basket website.




Kids’ Food Basket Farm: Feeding the body and mind

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Kids’ Food Basket Headquarters located at 1300 Plymouth Ave. NE, Grand Rapids. (Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)



By Cris Greer, WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



It didn’t take long to feel the passion of Kids’ Food Basket Farm Manager Jason Lundberg.

“When I see a child smile at me and say that was the best cucumber they’ve ever eaten, it brings tears to my eyes,” said Lundberg, at the Kids’ Food Basket (KFB) farm he manages at 1300 Plymouth Ave. NE. “This is why I’m here and have been placed in this position at this point in my life.

“I can’t believe I now get to teach kids about all this cool stuff. It has just been magical.”

Breaking down racial barriers

“When kids are telling me I want to be a farmer now, that is huge to me,” Lundberg continued. “The average age of the American farmer is nearly 60, and most of them are white. Only 2 percent of these farmers are of color, and that’s another big reason for what I’m doing.

“We’re here to break down those barriers. The one thing we all have in common is food, and sitting down and breaking bread together is one of the most precious rights we have.”

The Pickerd family farm — 13 total acres

The KFB farm was owned and operated at one time by the family of Don and Eileen Pickerd, who farmed it up until 15 years ago. The land was farmed for well over 100 years; with apple and cherry trees as its mainstay.

Kids’ Food Basket Farm Manager Jason Lundberg picks green beans in early September. (WKTV)

The last remaining property in the city limits zoned for agriculture, KFB purchased the Pickerd farm six years ago. The farm is 13 total acres, including the main building, of which nine are farmed.

“We wanted to continue the tradition of growing food for the community,” Lundberg explained. “It’s pretty special and we want to keep it that way for many, many years to come. This property was going to be turned into a bunch of town homes and the neighborhood association didn’t really like that idea and the opportunity came up for KFB to move in.”

Nearly 139,000 servings of produce have been grown and distributed from the KFB Farm since July 1, 2021.

Lundberg’s deep farming roots

A lifelong farmer from Rockford before working at KFB, Lundberg spent his youth and beyond tending to the family farm, Ingraberg Farms, now Ingraberg Fresh Foods.

Born in Salinas, California, known as the “salad bowl of the world,” Lundberg said his father Dave was immersed in agriculture and saw organic foods picking up steam at the time.

His mom Helen would later inherit a 20-acre parcel of her parents’ farm in Rockford, so they moved from California to Michigan to eventually start Ingraberg Farms.

“I’ve been growing vegetables my whole life, and continued right out of high school doing it full time until Kids’ Food Basket,” said Lundberg, whose dad sold his produce to country clubs and restaurants, including The Bostwick Lake Inn, University Club, The Gilmore Collection, Noto’s and mom and pop businesses as well. 

Farm camp

Every year when school ended for summer break in early June, his dad would have him recruit as many kids as possible to pick produce for him. Lundberg called it Farm Camp. Farmer Dave would make them breakfast and then they’d pick strawberries until it got too hot.

“And then we were turned loose and got to be kids and would bounce on the trampoline, swim in the lake and all that fun stuff. 

“When I eat a fresh Michigan strawberry in June I’m instantly transported back to that time in my life which is one of my more cherished moments. That experience alone taught me why it’s so important for this farm itself.

“Even if I can only get a kid here for an hour, if I can give them a lifelong, lasting experience for that hour, we’ve done our job.”

KFB farm mission

Their goal is creating access to the community of super fresh, nourishing food, focusing on elementary age children, according to Lundberg.

The one thing that has stayed the same is the KFB flagship sack supper; a brown bag meal that goes home with the child after school. Children receive this before getting on the bus, and that’s their supper, consisting of one serving of fruit, vegetables, protein and a healthy snack.

Nearly 1.4 million meals have been provided by KFB since July 1, 2021, amounting to 9,600 meals a day across four west Michigan counties (Ottawa, Allegan, Muskegon and Kent). The meals are packed daily by 300 to 400 volunteers.

School field trips — stomping garlic?

“Last spring, we had hundreds of kids from kindergarten through fifth grade on the farm — our learn team was able to facilitate multiple field trips,” Lundberg said. “The kindergartners would do something like stomping our garlic plants to help them grow bigger, and the third and fourth graders could help us transplant into the field — and they get taste testings all the time.”

Nearly 4,400 students have participated in the KFB nutrition education curriculum since July 1, 2021.

Volunteers of all ages giving back

Husband and wife volunteers Gary and Chris Fraser-Lee are regulars at the KFB farm, often harvesting produce once or twice a week over the summer.


Kids’ Food Basket volunteers Gary and Chris Fraser-Lee worked once or twice a week over the summer at the 13-acre farm at 1300 Plymouth Ave. NE. (WKTV)



Gary began volunteering when he worked in the IT Department at Steelcase and then got his wife hooked as well.

“We started doing food prep and sack suppers inside, and then as soon as the farm opened up began working outside,” said Chris, a retired occupational therapist from the Northeast side of Grand Rapids. “We’re blessed to be able to retire early and we’re just enjoying life and giving back when we can.”

Gary said they enjoy being outside picking while volunteering.

“It’s good to serve the community, and realizing what they do not only with the food bags, but what they supply from the farm here in the food pantries,” Gary explained. “It’s a great community organization.”

Nearly 30 percent of its volunteers are under age 18. Overall, there have been nearly 45,000 volunteer hours since July 1, 2021.


Kids’ Food Basket volunteers processing vegetables. (Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)

Corporate volunteers making a dent

While strolling through the fields in September, Lundberg pointed to a group of volunteers from Steelcase picking cherry and grape tomatoes for the sack suppers for school children to take home at night.

“We’re probably going to get well over 100 pounds from them; that turns into 800 servings for 100 children,” Lundberg said. “They pick 100 to 200 pounds of cherry tomatoes every day in our little hour to 2-hour volunteer shifts in the morning. Every week throughout the growing season, we have volunteers from up to three corporate groups like Steelcase, FloRight, Perrigo, Amway, Meijer and MillerKnoll.”

Kids’ Food Basket: The very beginning (Kids’ Food Basket website)

“In 2002, Mary K. Hoodhood received a phone call that changed everything. A local school principal reached out and said students were regularly going into the cafeteria after school in search of food to take home. Mary identified an immediate need. With $3,000 and a handful of volunteers, she committed to providing a solution to childhood hunger in our community.“

Lundberg said Bridget Clark Whitney, president and founding CEO of KFB, had the vision of growing food for their sack suppers.

“She knew the importance of eating super fresh, phytonutrient rich foods that are alive and thriving and putting them directly into our body,” he explained. “We are all about elementary age kids because their bodies are developing and their brains are developing.”


Lundberg said the organization has evolved into so much more than just the access of food to children with its educational component and engagement of people and volunteers.

“They all get to see the full circle … It’s really neat to see how all of it connects, and of course when you get the kids here you get to see it all really come together.”

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, and potatoes

The produce that makes the biggest impact on the farm is cherry tomatoes, followed by potatoes and summer squash.

Tomatoes harvested at the Kids’ Food Basket farm. (Courtesy, Kids’ Food Basket)



“It’s tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes,” Lundberg said. “Thousands and thousands of pounds of tomatoes every year, and thousands of pounds of summer squash. And this fall, we had close to 1,000 pounds of onions come out of the field growing in between the apple trees.”

In many ways, a dream come true

Lundberg still pinches himself while working on the KFB farm, admitting that it’s “truly a dream job.”

He has witnessed everything during the school field trips from kids picking and eating kale to their “many, many huge smiles” enjoying the farm while taste testing different produce and learning about things they never knew.

He has even heard some kids say they now want to be farmers when they grow up.

“Our CEO Bridget nailed it; it’s so much more than the food itself.”

Ford International Airport to host Runway 5K on Saturday, Sept. 24

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Ford International Airport is holding its annual Runway 5K and one-mile fun run on Saturday, Sept. 24. (Courtesy)

By WKTV Staff

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport welcomes runners and walkers to participate in the annual Runway 5K and one-mile fun run on Saturday, Sept. 24.

Registration has already begun for this unique race, which gives walkers and runners the rare opportunity to compete on an actual airport runway. The course will begin north of the economy parking lot, looping onto taxiway Juliet and runway 8L/26R, the Airport’s general aviation runway, before ending back at the parking lot.

Race-day registration

Race-day registration and packet pickup begins at 7 a.m., with the 5K race starting at 9 a.m. The one-mile fun run will begin at 9:05 a.m. Awards for the top three overall males, females and individual age groups will be presented at 10:15 a.m.

Early packet pickup and registration will take place 4-7 p.m. Sept. 23 at The Runnery, located at 5361 Alpine Ave. NW in Comstock Park.

This year’s charity partner is Kids’ Food Basket. This West Michigan nonprofit exists to increase access to healthy food for children and families through its Sack Supper program, community-driven farming, family food provision and educational programming.

“We are delighted to host this community-favorite event,” said Tory Richardson, president and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. “This race gives runners and walkers a unique experience, as the course is typically reserved for aircraft only.

 

“As an organization that values connections, this is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to support Kids’ Food Basket, which fills a critical need for children across West Michigan.”

Ford International Airport is holding its annual Runway 5K and one-mile fun run on Saturday, Sept. 24. (Courtesy)

Registration for the 5K begins at $44 and $30 for the one-mile fun run. Registration includes a T-shirt, finisher medals for those who complete the 5K or fun run, post-race snacks and beverages, awards for top finishers and free finisher’s photos.

 

“We are so grateful to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport for hosting the Runway 5K,” said Bridget Clark Whitney, president and founding CEO of Kids’ Food Basket. “What an incredible way to gather our community together to nourish our neighbors. Your support helps to break down barriers to food equity for children and families in West Michigan.

“This school year, we are serving approximately 9,600 evening meals, or Sack Suppers, daily to children in 60 schools across four counties. Thank you for being community champions of this critical work.”

The Ford International Airport’s two commercial aviation runways will still be operational during the race.

The Runway 5K focuses on partnering with local nonprofits that support residents of the greater West Michigan community. In 2021, the event raised nearly $11,000 for charity. This year’s presenting sponsor is The Christman Company. The official nutrition sponsor is Meijer. Gold sponsors include Experience Grand Rapids, Northern Jet Management, Pioneer Construction and Ward Aviation. Silver sponsors include Ice Mountain and Macatawa Bank. Bronze sponsors include FastSigns and The Professional Group.

 

The race is organized by Trivium Racing and the Ford International Airport Authority.

C2C Gallery in Grand Haven re-opens

Entertainment, ,

By Cyndi Casemier
C2C Gallery

Join C2C Gallery on Saturday, March 14, noon to 8 p.m., for a celebration of bringing the community and artists together for more than nine years. 

Enjoy art and live music as well as a look at the expansion plans for the new online gallery. Guests will be able to use large screens to look at the new website as well as visit with artists. There will be special pricing on select artwork.

Ten percent of all sales on Saturday will be donated to the Kids Food Basket of West Michigan (supporting Ottawa and Muskegon Counties).

Michael Drost will be performing jazz guitar. Michael is well known in the area for his stringed jazz music. Michael is currently an instructor of jazz at Grand Valley State University. He plays a wide range of musical styles. As an accomplished musician, he has shared the studio with Caissie Levy, Jonathan Brandmeier, Bob Seger, Kenny Werner, and more.

Since opening in 2011, C2C has hosted free local music and artist receptions during their First Friday events. The gallery features more than 35 acclaimed artisans: ceramics, photography, paintings, hand-blown glass, prints, hand-fabricated silver jewelry, hand-painted scarves, wood, and textiles. Over the 9 years of being in business, C2C has supported area non profit organizations helping them to raise money for their local programming and organized student art events.

In 2017, C2C Gallery was a LocalMotion Award recipient. “Local First does a great job of recognizing businesses that are truly making a positive impact in their local communities,” said Cyndi Casemier, owner of C2C Gallery. “The LocalMotion Awards capture the spirit of what it means to be a business owner in West Michigan and promotes using business as a way to make a positive impact.”

On March 15th, C2C will be closing its Washington Avenue location. C2C Gallery will continue to sell artwork via it’s website www.c2cgallery.com.

There are plans for pop-up shows in different locations throughout the year going forward. 5% of all ongoing sales will be donated to West Michigan’s Kid’s Food Basket throughout 2020.

Taking care of our kids: two interviews with local leaders on latest WKTV Journal In Focus

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By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus are two local efforts to support the youth of Kent County with the most basic of needs: proper nourishment and successful early childhood development.

We will talk with a West Michigan group which provides more than 8,000 dinner meals a day to kids during the school year. We will talk about what they do and what plans they have to do more in the future. Then we talk with the local group tasked to administer the public funds approved by vote as last year through the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage … and we are talking about more than $5 million dollars annually.

First In Focus is In Focus is West Michigan’s Kids’ Food Basket, a nonprofit organization best known for its Sack Supper Program, which provides a free, well-balanced nutritious evening meal distributed within classrooms at the end of each school day. The group serves schools in three counties with facilities in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland. With us is Bridget Clark Whitney, founding CEO of Kids’ Food Basket, and we will talk with her about her organization, about the Feeding our Future campaign, and why it is so important to assist our young citizens in gaining proper nutrition.

Then In Focus is First Steps Kent, the local group approved by Kent County Commissioners to administer the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage passed by county voters in November of last year. First Steps Kent is, according to its website, “an independent, influential and neutral entity that leads the community’s efforts to strengthen and coordinate early childhood services in Kent County.” With us is Annemarie Valdez, president and CEO of First Steps Kent.

WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.

Kids’ Food Basket joins Wyoming partners to provide food assistance

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Semia Hatambo carries trail mix

By Ashley Abbott Bodien
Kids’ Food Basket

Kids’ Food Basket announced a collaborative partnership with several groups, including two in Wyoming, to provide emergency food assistance to families impacted from the extreme weather.

Wyoming High School and the Godfrey Lee Early Childhood Center, as well as Kids’ Food Basket, were distribution sites on Thursday, Jan. 313, and Friday, Feb. 1. Supplemental food and fresh produce will be distributed for families to take home to provide food assistance to any family in need of additional nutrition. Food items include bananas, pears, apples, carrot packs, pudding and fruit cups, meat sticks, cereal bags, etc.

In addition, The David D. Hunting YMCA will be a providing a full meal to Grand Rapids Public School students and families through their Food Service Program. The downtown locations are on The Rapid bus route so families can access the facility in a safe manner.

“For the kids and families, Kids’ Food Basket serves, snow days prevent access to meals families often count on. The United Way’s 211 line reported, they simply do not have food resources to share with people calling for assistance. We believe in breaking down barriers and increasing access to good nourishing food. In an emergency like this, we want to do everything we possibly can to make sure our community has the nourishment they need,” said Bridget Clark Whitney, Founding CEO of Kids’ Food Basket.

Sheila Gurd moves the Kids’ Food Basket sack suppers after delivery

The organization, best known for its flagship Sack Supper Program, provides a free, well-balanced nutritious evening meal distributed within classrooms at the end of each school day. Kids’ Food Basket serves over 8,000 children who attend schools where 70% or more of the student population receive free or reduced-cost lunch in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland.

“During severe weather events like this one, we all have to pull together to meet the critical needs of our community. We’re glad Kids’ Food Basket reached out and are happy to support their efforts,” said The Rapids CEO Andrew Johnson.

“We are so grateful for these community partners, who understand the tremendous need for families during these extreme conditions. By working together, we are finding ways to break beyond weather and location barriers to get to families in need of food assistance,” Whitney said.

The organization is currently working to identify collaborative partners for safe distribution in Muskegon and Holland and encourages community members to call 211 to learn more about community-based organizations and government agencies providing services to families and individuals in need. For more information, please visit kidsfoodbasket.org.

Location information:

  • The David D. Hunting YMCA, 475 Lake Michigan Dr NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 

Families visiting the downtown YMCA location can enter through the main entrance and follow the signage to the community room to receive your meal.

  • The Rapid Central Station, 250 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
  • Seymour Christian Reformed Church, 840 Alger St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
  • Kids’ Food Basket, 2055 Oak Industrial Drive, Suite C, Grand Rapids, MI 49505


Kids’ Food Basket is nourishing children to reach their full potential. Through the Sack Supper program, Kids’ Food Basket serves over 8,000 students at 48 schools in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland. More than 250 volunteers each day help prepare, pack and deliver Sack Suppers, a well-rounded evening meal that provides nutrition critical to the development of the brain and body. To learn more, or see how you can make a difference, please visit www.kidsfoodbasket.org.

Kids’ Food Basket unveils farm name and holds ground break ceremony for headquarters

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , ,

Officials at the ground break ing for the new Kids’ Food Basket headquarters.

By WKTV Staff

 

Kids’ Food Basket hosted an official naming ceremony and groundbreaking on Wednesday, Oct. 11, officially kick off the construction of the new organization’s home at the former Pickerd Farm, 1919 Leonard St. NE. Founding CEO, Bridget Clark Whitney welcomed more than 100 guests, including community leaders Hank Meijer, Executive Chairman Meijer and Honorary Co-Chair; Joe Jones, 2nd Ward Commissioner City of Grand Rapids and Campaign Cabinet Member; and Dave Hildenbrand, Senator – State of Michigan.

 

To mark the occasion, the organization unveiled the farm name, Kids’ Food Basket Farm Strengthened by Nutrilite Exclusively by Amway. The name was selected in honor of Nutrilite’s monetary support, volunteer support, and shared methodologies on the farm. A portion of the acreage on the future Kids’ Food Basket site is used to educate youth and adults alike on the immense value of nutrition through innovative programs and experiential learning.

 

“We are so thankful for the dedication of our community! The Kids’ Food Basket future home will meet both an immediate need and make long term impact. This beautiful, centennial farm has provided a space, in the middle of Grand Rapids, to launch an urban farming and experiential learning program. Here we can put down our roots and directly connect kids experiencing hunger to a greater understanding of healthy food, helping them create healthy habits life-long.,” said Clark Whitney.

 

A rendering of the proposed Kids’ Food Basket headquarters to be located at 1919 Leonard St. NE.

In the second year working on the chemical-free, sustainable farm, the harvest has yielded more than 10,000 pounds of fresh sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, string beans, tomatillos, and mini bell peppers. In addition, the farm has allowed the opportunity to welcome more than 40 groups, totaling approximately 1,000 youth and adult volunteers. The community has engaged in and learned about food production, tending to crops and preparing produce to go in Sack Suppers.

 

“We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with Kids’ Food Basket and this new urban farm,” said Michelle Meulendyk of Amway Community Relations.  “It has been and will continue to be a way for us to extend the expertise of our Nutrilite farming practices and staff right here in Grand Rapids.”

 

In addition to the farm, the site will be the home to a new Kids’ Food Basket production facility.  Orion Construction will build a 27,000 square foot, two-story building that will house corporate office space and warehouse space on 15-acre site. The building will be constructed using the LEED (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) framework and upon completion, will be LEED certified. Within the design are elements such as natural light maximization, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, caulks, adhesives, and floor coverings, alternative vehicle considerations, and several other features that provide elements of sustainability. Additional greenhouses and farm-support structures are included in the projects that create on-site learning opportunities.

 

“Kids’ Food Basket’s future location will allow for expanded nutritional programming and increased access to healthy nourishing food for our community’s children. We’re thankful for the communities continued dedication.  We must do more. We are asking our community to rally together and join Kids’ Food Basket’s mission of nourishing kids so they can be their best in school and in life,” Whitney said.

 

Kids’ Food Basket services in a number of schools in the Greater Grand Rapids area including schools in the Kentwood, Godfrey-Lee, Godwin Heights and Wyoming Public School Districts.

School News Network: Sack Suppers, Popcorn, Fundraisers: She Does it All

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Sheila Gurd moves the Kids’ Food Basket sack suppers after delivery

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Every weekday at about 1:30 p.m., Sheila Gurd arrives at West Godwin Elementary School to deliver hundreds of sack suppers from Kids’ Food Basket to classrooms, making sure no kindergartner through fourth-grader will go hungry at night.

 

By the time she arrives, Gurd’s likely already been volunteering at the Godwin Middle School, helping with fundraisers or Popcorn Day. At West Godwin, she recently popped 200 bags of popcorn for Family Night.

 

Gurd, whose children are second-grader Camblouw and eighth-grader Aidan, is the “go to” parent volunteer at West Godwin, which currently lacks a Parent Teacher Organization, said secretary Kristi Bast. At the middle school, Gurd is on the PTO.

 

A humble person who said she doesn’t ever want a title, Gurd just likes to help out.

 

Sheila Gurd delivers sack supper to students at West Godwin every school day

“I love seeing the kids’ faces every day. I love to help and deliver the Kids’ Food Basket food,” she said. “I’ve been here from Day One, very involved. I want to show other parents I want to be involved. I like to do it.”

 

She also likes to be present in her children’s school day. “Knowing that they know I’m in the building, if they have the problem, I’m right there to assist them.”

 

Gurd, a Wyoming native who graduated from Wyoming Rogers High School (now Wyoming High School) in 2000, is also a gold medalist in the pentathlon for Special Olympics Michigan.

 

Bast said Gurd is filling a big need at the school, which has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

 

“(Without Sheila) we would not be able to get by, honestly,” Bast said. “We don’t have enough staff members. There’s not extra money or extra people. She’s been very good about coming in and being a volunteer with us.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Together we can begin serving more children this #GivingTuesday

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Students raised money for Kids Food Basket by collecting pennies

Kids’ Food Basket has recognized a large need to begin serving more students in West Michigan. Their goal is to raise $60,000 to build enough capacity to take three schools off their immediate waiting list, one in each of their West Michigan locations.

 

For the third year in a row, Kids’ Food Basket staff and their families will be personally matching online donations made on #GivingTuesday dollar for dollar, up to $5,000. Their goal is to inspire enough people to donate this #GivingTuesday so that they will have the ability to begin servings hundreds of students here in West Michigan. Kids Food Basket serves several schools in the Kelloggsville, Godwin Heights, and Godfrey Lee public school districts.

 

“Removing three schools from our waiting list means hundreds of children – hundreds of children that are currently waiting for their sack supper. Hundreds of children that leave school to homes that simply do not have adequate food. Hundreds of children who eat lunch as their last meal of the day,” Bridget Clark Whitney, Executive Director, shared.

 

“The need for our services is tremendous, and we know firsthand the impact that Sack Suppers can make. Data proves that children who have access to consistent nourishment have higher test scores and better academic achievement, less truancy, less sickness and less behavioral issues,” Clark Whitney explained. “The Kids’ Food Basket team and our families so deeply believes in this work that we are coming together again to provide a Staff Match for the third year in a row.”

 

Occurring on Nov. 28 this year, #GivingTuesday is an international day of giving fueled by social media that was born as a result of well-known shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

 

Kids’ Food Basket currently serves 7,500 children at 42 elementary schools in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland. More than 240 volunteers each day help prepare, pack and deliver Sack Suppers, a well-rounded evening meal that provides nutrition critical to the development of the brain and body.

 

Kids’ Food Basket is a nonprofit organization empowering communities to attack childhood hunger so young people can learn and live well. Through the Sack Supper program, kids get well-balanced evening meals, filling a gap that schools and families often can’t meet. To learn more, or see how you can make a difference, please visit www.kidsfoodbasket.org.

SCA’s Intriguing Conversation focuses on childhood hunger in Allegan County

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lunch bagsThe Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ Intriguing Conversation Series kicks off Thursday, Sept. 15 with a discussion about childhood hunger in Allegan County. The free program begins at 7 p.m.

 

Studies show there are more than 25,000 children in Allegan County and one in five are going hungry each day. Theresa Bray, executive director at the Allegan County Community Foundation, and Troy Vos from the non-profit Kids Food Basket, will unpack this number, talking about what we mean when we say that kids are hungry and how we know that children in Allegan County are struggling with hunger.

 

“I suspect most of us don’t know that our region struggles with childhood hunger,” said SCA Executive Director Kristin Armstrong. “But we hear fairly startling statistics about the numbers of children in Allegan County eligible for free or reduced school lunches, so we know there are issues very close to home. We hope this Intriguing Conversation provides facts about what’s happening and how people can impact the problem.”

 

Bray and Vos will discuss how programs like food banks, free school lunches, and nonprofits like Kids Food Basket impact hunger for our youngest citizens, and what else people can do to impact this serious issue.

 

For more information, visit sc4a.org or call 269-857-2399. The Saugatuck Center for the Arts is located at 400 Culver St., Saugatuck.

 

Art of Kids Helping Kids is Food for All

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By: Erin Albanese — School News Network

 

As Oriole Park Elementary fourth-grader Adam Lagerway painted a cardboard carrot, second-grader Allie Evans thought about how a local organization feeds hungry students. “Six thousand sack suppers!” she shouted, while transforming her own art materials into food shapes.

 

Students in teacher Laura Sluys’ special education class were making a sculpture out of recycled materials with a visiting artist from the organization Artists Creating Together.

 

Semia Hatambo carries trail mix
Semia Hatambo carries trail mix

The piece was donated to Kids’ Food Basket, a non-profit the class has worked all year to support.

 

Students presented the completed sculpture, a box with food flowing out of it like a cornucopia, to Brandy Arnold, KFB Kids Helping Kids coordinator. Painted brightly were cardboard, cans, toilet paper rolls, bottles and other items made into sandwiches, apples, juice boxes, bananas, celery and yogurt.

 

It was the culmination of a school year spent combining creativity, compassion and lots of trail mix. Sluys received a $200 Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation Service Learning Grant to fund the project with KFB, dubbed “Disabling Hunger.”

 

She also received a grant through Artists Creating Together, which provides artist-in-residencies for students with special needs across Kent County for her class to complete the project with artist Nora Faber.

 

Sluys said she decided to combine the two experiences for her students. “It helps them connect all the pieces of what they’ve been doing.”

 

Students raised money for Kids Food Basket by collecting pennies
Students raised money for Kids Food Basket by collecting pennies

Throughout the school year, Sluys’ students have completed monthly efforts for KFB. They led all Oriole Park students in decorating and donating 214 bags for Brown Bag Decorating Day.

 

They made and packed trail mix in 100 plastic sandwich bags. They collected pennies to donate.

 

A $300 Target stores field trip grant also funded a grocery-shopping trip to purchase food to donate, and students volunteered at KFB. “We put some pudding in baskets so they can give them to kids that are hungry,” said second-grader Jamiah Abron.

 

Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!

How Hunger Hurts Learning: Schools Seek to Feed Students’ Tummies and Minds

Area Education, Community Health, Local Food, Non-Profits, Our Cities, ,

Part of the Series ‘The Burden of Poverty: A Backpack of Heartache’

by Linda Odette, School News Network

Bags of apples donated to the pantry.
Bags of apples donated to the pantry.

The list of ways hunger can affect a child’s health is a long one. Chronic health issues like asthma, behavioral issues like anxiety and social issues like bullying are just a part of that list.

Nan Evans has seen children sneak food in their pockets and fight over a piece of breakfast food.

“When they’re hungry, they’re fidgety,” said Evans, principal of Kent Hills Elementary School in Grand Rapids. “They can’t focus. Getting mad and making trouble from being hungry can be how they express anger in inappropriate ways.”

Kent Hills is far from alone in dealing with the problem of hungry and undernourished children. According to Kids Food Basket, an agency that provides students with meals, more than 30,000 area children — that’s about 20 percent of the children in West Michigan — are at risk of hunger.

Studies have shown hungry children living in poverty are at high risk for chronic health conditions such as asthma and frequent oral health problems; more likely to require hospitalization than children who eat regular meals; and more prone to behavioral issues and social difficulties such as aggression, hyperactivity and irritability. They are six times more likely “to be in less than optimal health, experiencing a wide variety of illnesses and injuries” compared with children from higher income families, according to the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.

When it comes to schooling, hunger and malnutrition can hurt students’ achievement in a number of ways, educators and health officials say.

“It is important that they ingest important nutrients for optimal functioning in school,” said Stephanie Painter, director of Spectrum Health’s School Health Advocacy Program.

“We know nutrition is important because research has demonstrated that if children lack food, they are more likely to be in special education, have behavior or conduct disorders, be obese because of food insecurity, be at risk for psychiatric problems, be unable to focus or pay attention, and also are at risk for disease because they are anemic.”

A Pantry at School

Principal Nan Evans at Kent Hills Elementary’s monthly mobile food pantry.
Principal Nan Evans at Kent Hills Elementary’s monthly mobile food pantry.

Kent Hills is one of several area schools taking a direct approach to student hunger. It works with Feeding America West Michigan to hold a mobile pantry the third Wednesday of every month.

A semitrailer full of donated food backed up to one of the school’s double doors on a pantry day earlier this year. Volunteers unloaded the food onto rectangular tables filling the hallway. Soon, the tables were packed with potatoes, apples, bread, crackers, desserts, yogurt and sausage to be distributed to the 90-plus people in line.

One of the people in line was Rhonda Hawkins. Her grandson attends the school, and she lives with him, her dad and daughter. The food she picks up at the mobile pantry will help them a lot, she said.

“We can go a few weeks with potatoes and stuff,” Hawkins said. What they can’t do is go to the cupboard and wolf down as many Pop Tarts as they want. The food they get is managed carefully to go as far as it can.

Hawkins’ daughter, Keli, was standing in line with her. The food they pick up at the mobile pantry is used “pretty much with every meal or snack,” Keli said. “If we have extra potatoes, we give it to the elderly couple across the street.”

Cassandra Butler was in line with two teenagers who didn’t want to be named. “This is good when people are low-income and trying to make ends meet,” Butler said. “I got cut off my food stamps after Christmas. You do what you have to do when it comes down to eating.”

Feeding America West Michigan is working on expanding mobile pantries like these, which have also visited Dickinson Elementary, three Grand Rapids high schools and North and West Godwin elementaries this year. The agency supplies nearly 1,200 food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters in 40 counties in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

How Food Can Change Things

Kids Food Basket is another local organization seeking to help with children’s hunger. It sends sack suppers home with more than 6,000 children in the greater Grand Rapids and Muskegon area.

When children do get enough food, the results can be wonderful. Julie VanGessel, program manager for the Kids Food Basket Kids Helping Kids program in Grand Rapids, has seen it happen.

She remembers watching a class once and complimenting the teacher on what a great group of students she had. The teacher told her the class used to be difficult before they realized the students were hungry from lack of nutritious food. When a way was found to provide them with more food, their behavior, attendance and test scores all improved.

“It’s because they’re not hungry,” VanGessel said.

Rhonda Hawkins and her daughter, Keli, in line for donated food.
Rhonda Hawkins and her daughter, Keli, in line for donated food.

Families faced with hunger often skip meals and buy cheaper, less nourishing food because that’s all they can afford, said Emma Garcia, hunger response director for Access of West Michigan, a network of food pantries and anti-poverty programs.

Eating the empty calories of cheap foods like macaroni and cheese can lead to health problems including obesity and diabetes, Garcia said. That’s why organizations like hers work to make sure the food they give out is nutritious and includes the five food groups. Providing families with food that is “just calories doesn’t do them justice,” she said.

VanGessel agreed, saying, “It robs kids of their energy and their health.”

Inside the sack supper Kids Food Basket sends home with students is a meat or cheese sandwich or a tortilla roll-up for protein; one serving each of a fresh fruit and vegetable; a fruit juice box; and two healthy snacks like a granola bar or string cheese. Providing such balanced meals “helps kids stay focused, get their homework done, and stay on track with other children,” asserts the agency’s website.

Too Long Between Meals

Another issue agencies are trying to solve is the time gap some children face between meals. VanGessel tells of a mother working two part-time jobs, raising two daughters on a fixed income and going to college. When the mother noticed her kindergartner was coming home daily with headaches and struggling with homework, she thought it was a medical problem. Her child’s health issues actually stemmed from the many hours without food between getting her free lunch at school and eating dinner at home.

“They get breakfast and lunch at school, but if mom works until 7 p.m. and the meal comes at 8 p.m, and the last food they had was lunch at 10:30 a.m., it’s a huge gap of time,” VanGessel said.

“Sack suppers became a saving grace for this family,” she added. “Not only did the young student’s hunger headaches disappear, but she was back to her playful self, with energy to complete her homework assignments.”

Kids Helping Kids Through Creative Writing

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michele_smith-aversaLisa McNeilley, Ph.D, owner of Writer’s Alley, has come up with a ‘novel’ idea – Publish an anthology of short stories and poems written by kids, then donate the proceeds of the book sales to the Kids’ Food Basket. Kids helping kids!

 

And where will McNeilley get the stories for the anthology? She has a plan for that too! Writer’s Alley is offering the “Creative Writing and Publishing Workshop for Kids’ Food Basket,” a program for kids ages 12 and up.

 

The goal of the workshop is:
• expose the students to various aspects of the writing and publishing process
• enhance their skills
• and the students will receive and provide feedback on their writing
• students will develop a story and a poem to be included in the anthology

 

The culmination of the course is where the rubber meets the road, or rather where the ink meets the page. The stories and poems will be compiled into an anthology. From there, the students will learn about the publication process firsthand, including book design, editing, publishing and promoting the book that carries their very own written work. kfb LOGO

 

Another bonus to seeing their name in print is knowing that the proceeds from the book sales will go directly to help the Kids’ Food Basket. Students who participate will get a fun and creative learning experience, as well as learn about the importance of giving back to the community.

 

Workshop Information:
• Will run July and August
• Available to students 12 and older who are interested in writing and publishing careers.
• Class size is between 20 – 30 participants
• Includes 20 hours of workshop time.
• Varied schedule to accommodate vacations and summer jobs of the participants.
• Tuition is $200, which breaks down to only $10 an hour. Tuition applies in order to cover teachers, software and other expenses.
• Writer’s Alley will provide payment options, reduced or waived tuition for those who desire but cannot afford to participate.

 

“The main goal here is to reach those students who aspire to be part of the writing and publishing industries,” says McNeilly. “We don’t want lack of funds to prevent a child from experiencing this program if they are truly interested.”

 

This is not the first time McNeilley has taken on such an aggressive project. In 2013, the Cascade Writers’ Group (which was founded and is led by McNeilley), held a national writing competition. The winners of the competition were then published in Imagine This! An Artprize Anthology. McNeilley was the editor of the book, which was sold during Artprize last October. The success of that project spawned her idea for the Kids’ Food Basket workshop.

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Dr. Lisa McNeilly

 

Time is Running Out

 

The deadline to join the Creative Writing and Publishing Workshop for Kids’ Food Basket program is June 30! It is an incredible opportunity for the budding authors and future publishers in our community to learn writing skills and see the entire publishing process from creating a story to developing and printing a book.

 

For more information, visit Writers Alley at www.thewritersalley.com/workshops.

 

Lisa H. McNeilley, PH.D

 

McNeilley earned her degree in English from Wayne State University, has a business degree (BBA Marketing) from the University of Michigan and has taught college courses from basic writing to business and technical writing for over 15 years. She is the owner of Writer’s Alley, which offers tutorials and workshops for writers.