The end of August saw us wrapping up another season of our Gather 2 Grow Summer Lunch program. Since the program’s inception, we’ve seen consistent year-over-year growth. This year, we distributed lunches at 57 local libraries across West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. From June 2 to Aug. 29, children 18 and under and developmentally delayed adults up to age 26 received nourishing meals at no cost. These meals were nut-free and included vegetarian and gluten-free options.
This year, the program expanded to several new locations in Northwest Michigan and the UP. Meals were even available on Drummond Island! Volunteers and librarians from participating libraries continue to underscore the importance of meal programs like Gather 2 Grow for local children. Lindsay Rosso, circulation desk librarian at White Cloud Community Library expressed how well-received Gather 2 Grow was in their community.
“It really helps the kids during the summer,” she said. “They really appreciate having it, and it does make a difference.”
Angela Mead, Director of the Pathfinder Community Library in Baldwin, echoed that sentiment.
“People were very impressed. This year, our school had to be closed for the summer, so they couldn’t do the lunch program they normally do because they were under construction. That was a big crunch on the community. They were very happy to see that we had lunches for the kids.”
With a 19.1% child food insecurity rate across the state of Michigan, programs like Gather 2 Grow are crucial components in helping set children up for successful and healthy futures. With your help, over 64,000 Gather 2 Grow meals were distributed in the 2025 season. That’s 20,000 more meals for children in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula than the previous year.
In the coming years, we hope to continue growing and connecting with more libraries to help serve shelf-stable meals for children in even more locations.
If you’d like to support programs like Gather 2 Grow, please consider giving today.