In an effort to address food insecurity, a number of Grand Rapids residents donated over 158,000 pounds of non-perishable food as part of the “Stamp Hunger Food Drive campaign.” The food drive is part of a nationwide campaign, as postal workers in Grand Rapids volunteered to collect food donated by mailbox.
Feeding American West Michigan CEO and President Ken Estelle says, the food drive went better than expected, produced 160,000 pounds of non-perishable items which will translate to 132,000 meals.
“That was just an amazing day,” Estelle said. “Again, my hats off to the letter carriers.”
According to Feeding America West Michigan, food insecurity, effects 1 in 7 adults. For children, it’s even more staggering as 1 out of 6 children in Kent County don’t know where their next meal will come from.
“Be aware that even though we are hearing good things about the economy, there are still 70,000 people in Kent County who worry about food each day.”
An estimated 285,000 people struggle with food insecurity in Feeding America West Michigan’s service area. To put that number in perspective, according to population data from the US Census Bureau, more people in West Michigan suffer from food insecurity than the number of Grand Rapids and Muskegon residents combined.