Residents of Newberry and Luce County at large face no end of challenges when it comes to securing food for their families. The closest big-box store, a Meijer, is over an hour away in Sault Ste. Marie. Local grocery stores, help but the convenient location comes at a cost. The same food can cost significantly more at the local store compared to Meijer.
Tradeoffs like this are ever-present in the Upper Peninsula because of the small population and vast distances between cities large enough to host large retail chains. Even those who grow their own food face struggles unique to the Upper Peninsula. A small growing season means most people can’t risk planting crops until Memorial Day and they must harvest by late September to avoid frost. It can also be difficult to grow the variety of fresh produce that is more abundant in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
Because of these factors, Mobile Food Pantries are a lifeline for communities like Newberry. Our partners who coordinate the mobiles understand this more than most. Living in the community and being a part of these distributions, means generous folks like Pastor Kyle Keuhl have direct insight into the community’s challenges.
“I see how people struggle,” Kyle said. “Newberry is a retirement community, and they struggle to make ends meet. We have families around here, too. A lot of good families who also struggle. It’s great to supply some of the help that they need.”
Kyle is a pastor of three Upper Peninsula churches, a coordinator for mobiles in Luce County, and a board member at Feeding America West Michigan. He said that COVID-19 spurred the highest attendance during the mobiles he has worked at, drawing 600 households. Several years later, that number has dropped, yet it still remains high at nearly 400 households monthly. Neighbors make the journey to Newberry from as far away as Chippewa County, Mackinac County, and Marquette County.
“I love being there with people, connecting with people, and being able to share these resources. Every time a car leaves, they’re always thanking us,” Kyle said. “To hear that every single time, I know we’re doing good and we’re helping out people well here.”