GLFB CEO Michelle Lantz and representatives from ECH, UM Health — Sparrow Eaton, Barry-Eaton District Health Department, Capital Region Community Foundation and Eaton County Food Council at the food locker unveiling event on Sept. 10, 2024.
Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB) has an ongoing commitment to meeting neighbors where they are through innovations in food distribution across mid-Michigan. During Hunger Action Month 2024, we joined Eaton Community Health (ECH) at University of Michigan (UM) Health — Sparrow Eaton to celebrate the installment of temperature-controlled food lockers outside the hospital.
While GLFB currently partners with more than 140 food pantries, community meal sites, mobile distribution locations and other organizations to provide food to neighbors experiencing food insecurity, ECH’s food lockers provide increased flexibility for neighbors in need. Pantries, mobile distributions and meal sites have set times when neighbors can visit to receive food — these food lockers can offer 24/7 access for neighbors whose schedules are not able to accommodate a trip to a local pantry or distribution.
“Food insecurity affects our neighbor’s ability to work, learn or simply live a healthy life,” GLFB CEO Michelle Lantz said. “That impact is compounded when schedule barriers prevent someone from receiving assistance through one of our partners or programs.”
ECH’s food lockers are the first of their kind in the state of Michigan, and allow neighbors to pick up food — including refrigerated and frozen items —after receiving a referral from the hospital.
“This is such an exciting day for our community,” Lantz said at the unveiling event on Hunger Action Day on Sept. 10, 2024. “Now we have one more tool in the toolbox to improve access to food for so many of our neighbors.”
According to the latest data, nearly 14,000 people in Eaton County do not know where their next meal will come from.
“We’re working really closely with the Eaton County Food Council to help build strategies to not only increase the access to food, but also provide community nutrition education and help reduce stigma that families face when they’re trying to access food,” said Kalli Dempsey, co-executive director of ECH.
The food lockers can hold a variety of shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen items and can be accessed at any time based on a neighbor’s convenience.
Innovative solutions like refrigerated food lockers improve nutrition access for neighbors by reducing barriers to access, especially for neighbors who work daytime hours during the week. In addition to the schedule flexibility food lockers provide, they also offer discretion and protection, especially when personal safety is a concern.
These food lockers are part of a collaborative program that includes ECH, which owns the lockers and coordinates the program; UM Health — Sparrow Eaton, which hosts the lockers on its Charlotte campus; GLFB, which provides regional and national connections to food sources and strategies; Barry-Eaton District Health Department, which provides food security data, nutrition information and other local metrics; and the recently formed Eaton County Food Council, which will provide strategic input and guidance. Funding for the lockers was provided by an impact grant from the Capital Region Community Foundation.
Everyone has a role to play in the fight against hunger in our communities, from organizations like ECH coordinating innovative programing to reduce barriers to access, to individual neighbors coming alongside us in our mission. GLFB has been proud to lead mid-Michigan’s fight against hunger for more than 40 years, partnering with incredible local organizations like ECH to provide innovative, exciting new ways to connect neighbors with the food they need.
If you’re hungry to help, make a donation, host a food and fund drive or donate your time by volunteering.