Mobile Food Pantry program fights hunger in harder-to-reach places

Dec. 6, 2019

Feeding America West Michigan one of 114 food banks to receive Enbridge funds on Giving Tuesday

Hunger is often a hidden issue, and part of what makes it so tough to spot is that it can affect virtually anyone without showing signs.

As Ken Estelle, CEO of Feeding America West Michigan, puts it: “People don’t hang a sign up outside of their door saying, ‘I need food.’ ”

“They may have just lost a job, endured an injury, or are working and just not making ends meet – but they look just like anyone else.”

Feeding America West Michigan's former CEO, John Arnold, developed the organization's Mobile Food Pantry program in the 1990s. Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the program has been adopted by food banks nationwide.

Since Michigan’s Upper Peninsula presents a unique challenge of rural communities that are spread across a complex geography, the access to fresh food and produce options are limited.

Enbridge is committed to improving quality of life in the communities where we operate. This week, to celebrate Giving Tuesday, we donated funds to 114 food banks and food pantries across North America—donations totaling about C$283,000 in Canada, and about US$102,000 in the U.S.—to fund ongoing operations and Christmas hamper programs.

Our US$10,000 donation to Feeding American West Michigan will help fund an additional four Mobile Pantries in St. Ignace, MI, each carrying 10,000 pounds of food items.

Learn more by reading the full story on the @enbridge blog channel.