Menominee, Michigan — October 7, 2015 — Feeding America West Michigan announced a $11,500 grant from Caterpillar’s philanthropic organization, the Caterpillar Foundation, to provide food to individuals facing hunger in Menominee County. A member of the Feeding America network, Feeding America West Michigan is one of 35 food banks nationwide to receive this grant.
“We’re thankful to the Caterpillar Foundation for its commitment to fighting hunger and supporting families in need in our community,” said Ken Estelle, CEO of Feeding America West Michigan. “Because of this grant, we will be able to better serve families, children and seniors in need.”
Each year, 49 million people in the United States face hunger, including 12.8 percent of people in Menominee County, where resources can be hard to come by. Feeding America West Michigan is using this grant to fund monthly Mobile Pantries at Abundant Life Mission Center. The first distribution took place in September.
“The Caterpillar Foundation is committed to alleviating poverty. We are proud to partner with Feeding America West Michigan to support individuals in Menominee County who may not know where their next meal will come from,” said Michele Sullivan, president of the Caterpillar Foundation.
The Caterpillar Foundation’s current investment of $1 million will help to address hunger surrounding Caterpillar communities in 49 counties. The Foundation has invested $3.5 million dollars in Feeding America member food banks since 2013.
Thanks to this grant, Feeding America West Michigan will be able to provide three Mobile Pantries in the Upper Peninsula each month, in addition to the food distributed to hunger-relief agencies through its branch warehouses in Sault Ste. Marie and Ishpeming and its partner organization the Western UP Food Bank in Houghton. In order to meet the need in the Upper Peninsula, Feeding America West Michigan hopes to find additional funding to support a total of five monthly Mobile Pantries in the region.
About Feeding America West Michigan. Serving local families in need since 1981, Feeding America West Michigan reclaims safe surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. We distribute that food through a network of more than 1,100 food pantries, youth programs, and other hunger-relief agencies in 40 counties from the Indiana border through the Upper Peninsula. Each year, an estimated 492,100 people receive food from Feeding America West Michigan. For more information, visit feedwm.org.
About the Caterpillar Foundation. Founded in 1952, Caterpillar’s philanthropic organization, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed more than $600 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by providing program support in the areas of environmental sustainability, access to education and basic human needs. To learn more about the global impact of the Caterpillar Foundation, please visit CaterpillarFoundation.org.