Despite the economic recovery, many southwest Michigan families continue to need food assistance and Feeding America West Michigan tells us it’s been able to step up and meet that demand. Spokesperson Andrew Steiner tells WSJM News the organization gave out a record amount in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties in 2016.
“We work with about 120 local agencies in the greater Benton Harbor area, and we were able to distribute more than 2.5 million pounds of food just in those counties, Berrien, Cass County, and Van Buren,” Steiner said.
Steiner says, in all, Feeding America West Michigan gave out just under 29 million pounds of food in about 40 Michigan counties in 2016. The group collects excess food from farmers and other producers. It works with food pantries, soup kitchens, and child hunger agencies to hand out all of the items.
