KENTWOOD, Mich. — Food insecurity in Kent County has risen for the third consecutive year, according to a new study released by Feeding America West Michigan — and local pantries are seeing the pressure from neighbors.
The study, called 'Map the Meal Gap', shows the number of people facing food insecurity in Kent County has grown steadily: 81,600 in 2022, 88,140 in 2023, and 91,730 in 2024.
Pattijean McCahill, President of Feeding America West Michigan, said the numbers reflect a troubling reality across the region.
"The issue is one in six people in our service area are considered food insecure," McCahill said.
She said the demand is also evident at her organization's own Second Harvest Food Pantry, which opened in April.
She said initially, they hoped to serve 350 families a month. But she says they're consistently serving between 600 and 650 families per week.
Nancy Cromley, executive director of the Green Apple Pantry in Kentwood, said her pantry is seeing similar trends.
"I would say we're seeing like a 20% increase every year, so the numbers do just keep going up. People just need a little bit of extra help," Cromley said.
Cromley said the pantry is currently serving around 150 families per week — roughly 500 to 600 families a month, or about 1,600 individuals.
Both executive directors point to the same underlying causes driving the increase.
"So it's housing, inflation, cost of childcare. All of these factors impacting people's ability to buy nourishing food," McCahill said.
"There is a big need in the community that people, you know, groceries are expensive, jobs are hard to come by, prices keep going up, gas keeps going up," Cromley said.
The Green Apple Pantry works to meet that need by providing a range of food items to those who come through its doors.
"We are providing them with a box of shelf-stable food, and then things like fresh produce, fresh meats, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, and then bread, sweets, and anything else I can get my hands on," Cromley said.
Cromley encouraged anyone in need to reach out.
"We have a lot of food to give out, and we pride ourselves on serving our neighbors with grace and dignity. We don't know people's backstories. We don't know what's happening in their lives. We want to make sure that we're just here to support wherever [there is] need," Cromley said.
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