A food policy council can influence, improve, or remove barriers in the food system that cause disparities, inequities, poor nutrition, or economic hardships.
“[Cleaning up stormwater] improves the quality of water people drink, it improves the quality of air people breathe,” says Dane Forlines, Special Projects Director for the Heights CDC. “It also beautifies the public space, which cannot be understated.”
A program called InPACT offers schools strategies that deliver 20 minutes of daily physical activity in the classroom.
"In caring for people, it can be a challenge when others, justifiably, want to know your measurable outcomes," says Todd Gordon, volunteer executive director of WAVE Project. "But, when somebody asks me how we're helping people not be homeless, I say, we're not. That's not why we exist. We exist to love people first."
1.9 million Michiganders experienced food insecurity during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, leading Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to launch the council.
“The growth of new small craft and niche snack food companies in Michigan is exciting,” says Duncan Smith, President and COO of All Star Services, Inc. “All Star Services is a growing small business and we want to help bring more focus to the growing segment of snack food companies in Michigan.”
"We have a six-month waitlist for our mental health providers. We need to hire more therapists and mental health staff," says Versell Smith, Jr., executive director of The Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti. "When a young person comes forward to say, 'I need help,' we need to be able to deliver help to them that day."
Gleaners Community Food Bank is working to bolster nutrition security by actively sourcing a variety of fruits and vegetables for food pantries, and by providing nutrition education information for pantry guests.
Even as mental health issues have risen worldwide, Michigan has fallen behind on having enough health professionals to address that trend.
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