Northern Michigan University receives grant to develop sustainable food system

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health was recently awarded a $194,421 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. The grant will finance a project to work with local farmers, service agencies, businesses, and school systems to develop a plan for infrastructure intended to address food insecurity in the region. The goal is to determine the feasibility of establishing a facility for the aggregation, distribution, and light processing of food to serve Marquette and Alger Counties. 

A news release from NMU about the grant and the project states that in Marquette and Alger Counties, 13.3% of the total population and 14.2% of children experience food insecurity, which is above the national average of 12.5%. Elise Bur, director of the NMU Center for Rural Health, said that the majority of food consumed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is transported from the Lower Peninsula, contributing to higher costs for consumers. "This minimizes access to high-quality food. It also hinders local farms from developing new markets and drives up the cost of distributing food for businesses and charitable food giving organizations," Bur said. 

The proposal for the grant was aided by project partners such as Feeding America West Michigan, Central U.P. Planning and Development, and the U.P. Food Exchange, among others. Those organizations provided input and will continue to collaborate on the project development now that the grant has been secured. Bur explained, "This infrastructure will address food insecurity, support the growth of the local and charitable food system, and increase access to nutrient-dense food for the entire U.P. It would be the first multiuse structure of this kind in the U.P. and also has the potential to serve as a model for other rural areas across the nation."