KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The American Heart Association is teaming up with local food pantries across West Michigan to expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables for families facing food insecurity.
Through a newer initiative to provide nutrition support, the organization is providing grant money to fund refrigerators and coolers in more than a dozen food pantries, including the Baxter Community Center and Reeths-Puffer Schools.
"Sometimes the grants are as much as $3,000, other times they're $1,000 and they're just getting a nice refrigerator for the pantry," said Sarah Poole, the Community Impact Director for the Michigan chapter of the American Heart Association.
"Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive in the grocery store, so it's important to us that food pantries have the ability to carry those fresh items throughout the year," Poole said.
At the Baxter Community Center, the marketplace offers shelf-stable food and fresh produce.
"We serve 1,000s of people every year. Neighbors can come once a month to shop for emergency food and clothing assistance," said Lindsay Vacanti, the Director of Community Engagement at Baxter.
"From carrots, lettuce, greens, we really try to keep things very accessible," Vacanti said.
The new cooler provided by the American Heart Association allows the pantry to safely store more healthy options.
"We've been able to, like, really, double, or even triple the amount that we're able to offer and have for our neighbors since we've gotten this cooler from the American Heart Association," Vacanti said. "It has been a fantastic addition."
The fresh items go fast, and higher prices at the grocery store and the gas pump are driving up the need for assistance.
"It's something that flies off the shelves every time, every time we get something new in, it's gone so quickly," Vacanti said.
Vacanti expects more families to walk through their doors as costs continue to rise.
"We're definitely anticipating it, and doing our best to keep our shelves stocked and making sure that we're ready for that increase in numbers," Vacanti said.
Reeths-Puffer Schools recently received an AHA grant to fund a fridge for its high school food pantry.
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