Update on Re’Solution: Food Access

First ‘Winter Fresh Food Initiative’ volunteers from Jeruel Baptist Church and Stockbridge Community Outreach L-R Cathy Burleson, JoAnn Tangeman, Dianna Carpenter, Kim Reid, Rowan Bartholomew. Photo Credit: Tina Cole-Mullins.

by Tina Cole-Mullins

What’s happening to bring food back into the Stockbridge area? Daily access to fresh food is still limited, but visionaries within organizations such as Stockbridge Community Outreach, the Open Air Market of Stockbridge, Stockbridge’s First Presbyterian Church, Stockbridge DDA, the Stockbridge Area Chamber of Commerce, and the newly-formed Eat Better Committee of the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition are trying to address the problem.

March 2020 schedule of area food events include:

• Stockbridge Community Outreach’s Winter FFI free fresh food distribution, Monday, March 9, 5 p.m. at Jeruel Baptist Church, 11400 Plum Orchard Rd., Munith
• Stockbridge Community Outreach pantry is open Mondays and Fridays from 9 – 3 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1 – 6 p.m. for those in need living in the Stockbridge School District.
• Winter Open Air Market – Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. First Presbyterian Church CE Building, 101 S. Center St., Stockbridge

• Winter Pantry Market/Fourth Friday Free Community Dinner – Friday, March 27, 5:30 – 7 p.m., First Presbyterian Church CE Building, 101 S. Center St., Stockbridge

Lake Divide Farms of Stockbridge, offers a variety of seasonal options at the Winter Open Air Market also one of the local farms offering to sign-ups as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) connecting the community to a fresh local food source through a membership-based relationship.Photo retrieved from the Open Air Market Facebook page.

Stockbridge Community Outreach has stepped up in a couple of ways to help bring fresh food to those most in need. They partner with two different food banks to bring food into the community. One food bank, the South Michigan Food Bank (an organization out of Battle Creek, https://smfoodbank.org) has given Outreach a special grant to participate in its Fresh Food Initiative (FFI) year-round program.

Outreach has been participating over the past three years with the weekly Summer FFI program. Through this new grant, Outreach can now offer free fresh produce once per month to anyone who shows up at the food distribution at Munith’s Jeruel Baptist Church in Jackson County. This new offering takes place the second Monday each month and started Feb. 10. For that distribution, recipients were eager to participate, many arriving as early as 3:30 p.m., waiting in their vehicles until the doors opened at 4:30 p.m.

Volunteers run the program very efficiently–all 40 or so families were served in less than 30 minutes, and they all were even given the opportunity to go back through the line if they wanted more of the available apples, oranges, grapes, potatoes and walnuts. (The produce given out each month changes and depends upon what the South Michigan Food Bank is able to procure.)

“We are happy to work with Outreach to be able to help our community with fresh fruits and vegetables during the cold months,” Stephanie Yannella, Coordinator of the FFI program and Jeruel Baptist Church Team Leader, explained. “Volunteers are so essential and much appreciated! If you can’t stand in line, a volunteer can go through the line for you and meet you at the end of the line to help you [with your produce] to your car.”

“This program,” she continued, “is open to all, no matter where you live—no paperwork required, just a signature on a piece of paper stating that you need food.” 

Recipients are encouraged to bring their own bags and carts. Doors will open at 4:30 for 5 p.m. distribution.

Wake Up Stockbridge & Surrounding Communities, working on a micro-level to distribute baskets with a variety of fresh produce to those in need throughout the month. Photo credit: Tina Cole-Mullins.

Another fill-the-gap program recently started at Outreach involves volunteers traveling to the Greater Lansing Food Bank and bringing back gleaned or donated fresh food and dairy for distribution to Outreach clients. This started in January, and so far, Outreach has been able to provide a variety of items, including yogurt, milk, lettuce, carrots, celery, potatoes, and salad fixings.

Currently, volunteers go every other week on Tuesday or Wednesday to pick from what’s available at the food bank to have it ready for when Outreach opens on Wednesdays at 1 p.m.

Virginia (Ginny) Rezmierski, a retired University of Michigan Professor, is currently acting as a facilitator with several groups from Stockbridge. One area of her focus, as Rezmierski shared in a recent phone conversation, is “access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and protein. It is our hope, given the need in the community, that we can form synergy [among] the many people who recognize this need.”

Also working closely in this endeavor are Pastor Deb Smith, of Stockbridge First Presbyterian Church, and Suzi Greenway, Market Manager for the Open Air Market of Stockbridge.

“We have added a second winter market called the ‘Winter Pantry Market’ during the Fourth Friday Free Community Dinners at the Presbyterian Church in downtown Stockbridge,” Greenway said. “Our first Winter Pantry Market was held in January and our food vendors there included produce, cheese, frozen meats, honey, maple syrup, jams, eggs, bread, pies, cookies and other baked goods. We set up in the back room and found that patrons ate dinner first and then came shopping.”

Greenway added, “We plan to continue the indoor markets until we head outside again in May on Fridays from 4 – 7 p.m. on the Stockbridge Township Square.”

Both Smith and Greenway are part of the Eat Better Committee of the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition, meeting monthly to try to address the longer-term access-to-food issue. Next meeting is Thursday, March 19 at 4 p.m. in room 108 of the Stockbridge Activity Center. For more info, contact Ashley at [email protected].

Another key group in this collaborative effort is the Stockbridge Downtown Development Authority. Geri Uihlien of the DDA expressed enthusiasm about supporting and seeing growth within the Open Air Market of Stockbridge. “We, the DDA,” she said, “have made a proposal on a much-needed and substantially increased budget to the indoor and Open Air Market this year, pending official approval on final vote from the village council.”

Shafer Family Farm of Webberville attends the Open Air Market with a selection of whole chicken, and some limited pork cuts. Photo Credit: Geri Uihlein

Wake Up Stockbridge has teamed up with Crossroads Bridge Builders and both online Facebook groups are networking on a more individual level by coordinating rides to and from the FFI food distributions, community dinners, the winter markets and even to a grocery store.

Jodelle Sparks, online Coordinator of Crossroads Bridge Builders said, “We will continue offering, through the ministry services, help with transportation to a Fresh Food Initiative distribution like the one through Outreach at Jeruel Baptist Church, or to grocery stores.”

Also, area convenience stores have started offering some fresh produce among their wares—so residents should sure to support their efforts.

For a ride to these events or help with grocery pick up, contact [email protected].