Ferris State University gives students access to fresh produce with MiLEAP grant funding
The university received a Quick Start grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential that it will use to help students experiencing food insecurity access fresh foods.
Ferris State University has received a Quick Start grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential. The university will be using the grant funding to provide vouchers for students to use at the local Downtown Big Rapids Farmers Market in order to ensure they have access to fresh, healthy foods. The Quick Start grant program is intended to help schools eliminate barriers to student success, and Ferris State University is using its grant funding to help students who may be experiencing food insecurity.
According to an article on Ferris State University’s website, Nicholas Campau, the university’s associate dean of Student Life, was quoted as saying of the program, “As part of our MiLEAP Grant, which we received from the state of Michigan, we have partnered with the city of Big Rapids Farmer’s Market to benefit students. As part of our commitment to local vendors, we have generated vouchers that students can use at the Farmers Market to purchase food.”
Students can request $10 vouchers that can be redeemed with vendors at the Downtown Big Rapids Farmers Market to purchase fresh produce. Campau noted that students can either spend them $10 at a time, or save them up to make a bigger purchase. The voucher system is an initiative created to address food insecurity, a barrier that many students may be facing that stands in their way of succeeding academically. In addition to the fresh produce vouchers, other efforts to battle food insecurity are underway on campus, including the Bulldog Basic Needs Alliance’s new food pantry, which is available in the David Eisler Center.
Josh Pyles, Big Rapids’ city recreation coordinator and Farmer’s Market manager, said, “The Downtown Big Rapids Farmers Market is excited for this opportunity to have Ferris Students downtown and coming to the market for their shopping needs.”
The Downtown Big Rapids Farmers Market is located at 226 N. Michigan Ave, and is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays in July and August. The market’s season runs through October 31.
For more information about Ferris State University, visit the school’s website.