Kelly, an Ontonagon mother, works with her daughter and other family members at the local Ace Hardware store. From her position at the store, she has witnessed the many ways the local economy has grown weaker over time. With each business closure over the last three decades, there are fewer people to shop at her store and there are fewer reasons for young people to stay.
The loss of the community hospital in 2024 was especially painful. The closure of Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital and emergency services resulted not only in the dissolution of many jobs in the community but also a gap in critical emergency health services. The hospital was converted into a rural health clinic with outpatient services. For hospital and emergency room services, people now travel more than 45 minutes to Baraga County Memorial Hospital or about 75 minutes to Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital.
Kelly and her family members are among the thousands of working people in the Upper Peninsula who turn to the Feeding America West Michigan partners for food because their work hours and wages have eroded alongside the reduction in jobs and economic opportunity. On a work day in June, family members covered for her at the store so she could pick up boxes from a Mobile Food Pantry distribution at the nearby Ontonagon Village Fire Hall.
Like the crew at the hardware store, several local businesses sent someone to pick up boxes for staff so they could get food without breaking away from work.
“Our community is hurting, with losing the hospital, as well as our mining, our lumber industry with the paper mill — that’s gone,” she said. “I think this mobile pantry really helps a lot of people because there’s not a lot of jobs around here anymore.”
Kelly’s daughter Amanda, also an Ace Hardware employee, echoes the concern that these losses have contributed to a declining local population.
“More and more people just can’t make it,” Amanda said. “And the young people can’t afford to stay here, so they’re all leaving. Eventually there won’t be any of us left. I’m lucky I own my own home and don’t have to worry about it. If I tried to leave, I couldn’t do it.”
Both Kelly and Amanda turned to a mobile food distribution at Ontonagon Village Fire Hall for food resources that they stretch as far as possible.
“A lot of the fruits and veggies are really nice,” said Amanda, who also grows her own produce at home to supplement her family’s food needs. “I live paycheck to paycheck, I don’t have extra income and when I can grow a little high-priced fruit, it’s fairly supportive. Every little bit helps. I grow my own stuff just trying to make things go further. Adding that with what you guys are able to bring, I can the food and make it go as far as possible. “
Doing “a lot of good” in Ironwood
In Ironwood, St. Vincent De Paul Our Lady of Peace provides supplemental food resources for the immediate community through their food pantry. District President Brian Panich has been with the pantry for 10 years and helps provide information on financial assistance for neighbors in addition to assisting in the everyday duties of the pantry.
“There’s just an abundance of homelessness and friends in need and it breaks your heart,” he said. “We have people that donate and we’ve really been blessed to sustain the funds that we do. Feeding America West Michigan has just been a tremendous gift to the whole UP.”
On average, the Ironwood pantry serves about 250 households comprised of more than 500 individuals who seek food assistance. The Ironwood pantry serves the local senior living center, where they deliver boxes monthly. And the pantry supports neighbors like Sarah, a mother and Wisconsin Certified Nursing Assistant.
With a family at home, Sarah had been out of work for several months when she visited the Ironwood pantry. Her family was struggling to make ends meet on her husband’s income.
“It’s rough going,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Feeding America West Michigan and this pantry, we wouldn’t make it from month to month … They do a lot of good around here.”