Free fruits and vegetables now available weekly to low-income families in Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Hundreds of low-income families in Grand Rapids will have access to free fresh produce every week thanks to a national nonprofit that’s seeking to encourage more fruit and vegetable consumption in homes across the country.
The “Good Food for All” program, launched Aug. 31, provides participating families with 50 servings of fruits and vegetables every week for 12 weeks. The program is through Partnership for a Healthier America, a national nonprofit founded in partnership with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign in 2010.
The Salvation Army of Kent County and the Boys & Girls Club in Grand Rapids are partnering with the nonprofit to distribute over 280,000 servings of high-quality fruits and vegetables to nearly 500 families in Grand Rapids, according to a Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) news release.
Families who participate in the free program are already affiliated with the pantry and identify as falling under the poverty line, officials with the program told MLive.
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The program is designed to provide families with nourishing, high-quality produce, while also creating a platform to raise awareness for the need for long-term changes to America’s food system, according to the news release.
“Through Good Food for All, we’re providing emergency food to families who need it, but even more importantly, we’re also working to catalyze longer term, sustained access to affordable produce in retail,’’ said Nancy Roman, president and CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America, in a prepared statement.
“By distributing good food in a way that builds a habit, and then learning more about what families like, we can help retailers meet that demand, ultimately driving food equity.”
LaShaunda Hoskins, community engagement coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids, said the program is a great way to promote health and wellness as a habit, so students can learn to make healthy lifestyle choices.
“Here at The Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids we strive to enable all young people to reach their full potential,” Hoskins said in a prepared statement.
“One of the ways that we do that is by providing resources to our families so that students have this opportunity inside as well as outside of the club. With the knowledge and resources that we provide daily, in conjunction with PHA providing healthy and fresh food options, we know that our students and parents will benefit greatly from this partnership.”
The Good Food for All program is an expansion of an initiative the Partnership for a Healthier America started during the pandemic, called the COVID-19 Fresh Food Fund. A study of people who participated in the pandemic initiative found that the main barrier to eating more fruits and vegetables was cost.
A majority of the program’s participants said they were more likely to start eating more fruits and vegetables as a result of the Fresh Food Fund, suggesting there is significant unmet marketplace demand, according to the news release.
The Good Food for All initiative will supply free fresh produce to a total of 17,250 families across 10 states in the Midwest, according to the release. The $8 million program will serve roughly 10.3 million servings of fruits and vegetables total.
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