MUSKEGON, Mich. — The 43-day government shutdown highlighted a growing crisis in Muskegon County, where calls for emergency food assistance skyrocketed by 300%, according to Kris Vanderstelt, executive director of AgeWell Services.
While full November SNAP benefits should be going out now that the government shutdown ended this past week, the pause in benefits exposed the depth of food insecurity affecting the community.
WATCH: 'There is a lot of need': Muskegon seeks solutions for ongoing hunger crisis
"We know throughout Muskegon County that there has been a 300% increase in calls to 211 for help on emergency food access," Vanderstelt said.
Vanderstelt says many of the calls came from senior citizens.
"There's a lot of hunger in the senior community, and we try to combat that with access to healthy, nutritious food," Vanderstelt said.
AgeWell Services partners with Meals on Wheels to deliver food to homebound neighbors aged 60 and older across Muskegon, Oceana and Ottawa counties. The program serves 1,400 meals daily with help from 43 different drivers.
"62% of the individuals that we serve home delivered meals to through Meals on Wheels report to us that their driver is their one and only contact every day," Vanderstelt said.
Despite the high demand, approximately 500 seniors remain on a waiting list for meal delivery services.
"The stark reality is that there is a lot of need, and especially since Covid, no one has really bounced back," Vanderstelt said.
Vanderstelt noted that 43 different meal programs operate independently throughout Muskegon County.
In an ideal scenario, Vanderstelt envisions Muskegon County establishing one centralized location to coordinate food distribution efforts, maximizing resources and reducing gaps in service.
Even with SNAP benefits resuming, the underlying food insecurity issues persist.
"The problems in our food system and our food chain are not going to go away with a shutdown. We have to continue these conversations, collaboratively and regionally, to continue to move food, because it's crime that we are growing all this great food, right with our neighbors, but we aren't consuming it," Vanderstelt said.
For neighbors facing financial hardship, Vanderstelt recommends prioritizing housing costs first.
"We have such an unhoused issue in all of our communities that we want to make sure that people have a bed to sleep in," Vanderstelt said. "So if it means that you have to tap into the food system for the very first time, don't be afraid to do that."
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