Fighting food insecurity

Social justice warriors provide love-infused meals in Leelanau

By Abby Chatfield

Sun contributor

For many around Leelanau, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season. Villages welcome Santa and his reindeer and invite carolers to lead nostalgic crowds in chorus as they unveil lights and decorations. Local businesses usher in busy shoppers searching for novelty gifts they hope their loved ones do not already own.

Yet for 43% of the county’s 22,000 residents, Thanksgiving does not necessarily feel like a time of abundance and cheer. It is like most other days of the year when the stress of food insecurity is a nagging reality. How ironic is it that half of the residents in the second wealthiest county in Michigan worry daily about finding enough to eat?

The acronym ALICE sums it up. Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed applies to an increasing number of people around Leelanau County each year. Although many who suffer from food insecurity are employed, they are still unable to afford the basics. Some of the very people who keep our communities operating are also consumed with the struggle of trying to keep their homes from financial ruin.

Bill and Michelle White, residents of Leland and founders of 5Loaves2FishNMI (5L2F), would like people to know is that it is okay to ask for help. According to Bill, “There is a stigma behind being food insecure, and pride stops people from asking.”

5L2F is an outreach group that promotes social justice by providing nourishing meals, infused with love, to those experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. The Whites founded the nonprofit to serve people in need around Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties.

The miracle of the five loaves and two fish, taken from the Gospel of John, is also known as “The Feeding of the 5,000.” The story goes that a boy gave Jesus five loaves and two fish to feed the masses. Its moral is that it is important to share and to try to make the most of what we have.

As 5L2F volunteer Peggy Miller of Leland put it, “When we need something, in the 5Loaves way, it just sort of appears.” According to the Whites, somehow the numbers always work out, even when they are short on food.

The volunteer-driven nonprofit utilizes help from more than 40 volunteers like Peggy who gather four days each week to make, pack, serve and deliver food. “Food is a basic need, not a privilege. It should be good for everybody,” Michelle shared as the mantra for 5L2F. The group makes all meals from scratch and package them with loving notes in hand decorated bags, another role fulfilled by volunteers.

Fortunately, there are several organizations in our area who help to fill the bellies of those who are food insecure. 5L2F works closely with Leelanau Christian Neighbors (LCN) and Empire Food Bank in Leelanau County. They send as many meals as possible to LCN, ranging from 48 to 75 meals per week. 5L2F is unique as the only organization to make home deliveries in Leelanau. Volunteers deliver approximately 55 prepared meals per week to families, along with groceries. Supplements are always needed. LCN supplies two bags of groceries per family a week, according to Michelle, but they do not provide delivery.

5L2F also works alongside Central United Methodist Church and Safe Harbor in Traverse City. Safe Harbor is a seasonal emergency shelter and a year-round Housing & Human Services Resource Center. 5L2F serves dinner one day per week outside at Veterans Memorial Park through Safe Harbor, another unique service they offer all year. “It’s a party,” Michelle said. Guests help pack up and clean up, creating community and social opportunities.

What exactly propelled the Whites into promoting social justice by providing meals to the food insecure? In 2016, following a series of major life changes that left her searching for her identity, Michelle felt pulled to church. “There I was walking up to the little white church on the hill. I had been in it twice, once for a wedding and once for a funeral. For most of my life I have lived within earshot of the infamous bells. I knew when it was noon and when it was five without ever needing a watch, but going there, well that was never a consideration. And yet, there I was walking up to the church on a cold winter day, but I did not feel alone. It was like Jesus took me by the hand and said ‘Come on. Time to go, Michelle’.”

Despite some initial hesitations, Michelle continued to attend and eventually convinced Bill to join her. Her bond with the church grew, until one day she found herself talking with her pastor about feeling called. When she discovered the roles of deaconess and home missioner in a book the pastor had given to her, Michelle immediately knew she wanted to become a deaconess with a lifelong commitment to God. She entered the discernment process of “due consideration” and began self-examination to determine if she was ready for such a responsibility.

Meanwhile, Bill had also taken it upon himself to begin the discernment process. He was getting ready to retire from a 42-year career in child welfare and was both searching for his next step along with being a supportive partner to his wife. “He had researched what I was up to, thinking he better figure out what it was since I was probably going to drag him into it,” Michelle shared. “But before I could even have a chance to do that, he had already made the decision to become a home missioner. So, the two of us went to school together and became deaconess and home missioners for the Leland Community United Methodist Church (LCUMC), meaning we are social justice warriors working for God.” The Whites were consecrated by a bishop to make a lifetime commitment to God to fight for social justice.

According to Peggy, a volunteer and Michelle’s friend for over 40 years, “Michelle first started Bags of Compassion. She’d build backpacks and different bags with necessities and hide them wherever the homeless were. Seeing that side of Michelle, I was very drawn to her.”

In 2017, Michelle started an art program at the Central United Methodist Church (CUMC) in Traverse City. She met Melissa West there, otherwise known as “Twisted” in the street community. In 2020, not long after Michelle had assisted in the process of getting the kitchen at LCUMC certified, Melissa called to ask for help feeding people she knew who were in dire need due to site closures during Covid. The Whites had envisioned making meals for people experiencing food insecurity before Covid arose, but Melissa’s call to action set in motion a labor of love that eventually became 5L2F.

Michelle and Peggy packaged up the food and delivered it to Melissa, who distributed it to the people in need. The efforts to provide food continued at random but became more frequent. It wasn’t long before Jane Lippert, CUMC Community Outreach Coordinator, asked Michelle if she would be willing to create more structure to reach the right people while continuing with efforts. Just a couple of weeks later, another contact reached out to the Whites about Leelanau families who were short of meals due to the shutdown.

Things kept expanding from there and, only one year into service, 5L2F received the 2021 Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award, annually given by the Traverse City Human Rights Commission to recognize those who contribute to the community by promoting mutual understanding and respect among all people. The nonprofit was nominated by the very people they served and was chosen by the commission over other organizations that had been on the list for years.

The Whites and volunteers started with cooking one day per week. Now in 2022, they are up to four days of food production and two days serving per week, providing more than 8,500 meals between January and early November. This year, they’ve provided twice as many meals as last, doubling output because more people simply need support. They serve approximately 270 people per week and frequently see new faces due to the burden of increased living costs in the area.

“It’s unbelievable, so much change over the last 2 ½ to 3 years,” shared Peggy. “We started out with one refrigerator and one freezer. It was just the two of us cooking.” Aside from generous monetary and food donations from community members and businesses, in 2022 they added a walk-in cooler, double-door freezer and a commercial mixer to the nonprofit’s kitchen and pantry.

This Thanksgiving, you will find 5L2F filling in gaps, delivering to Leelanau families. They are thinking of serving something off tradition to provide variety such as ham, scalloped potato, fruit salad, bread, and dessert.

At some point beyond 2022, 5L2F wishes to start community mealtimes by opening the LCUMC basement for people to connect, especially during the isolated winter months. They would also like to see more space, donations, and volunteers. 5L2F relies on funding from donors, grants, and churches. Equipment donations are provided by local businesses, and food donations derive from LCN, local farms, caterers, restaurants, and grocery stores. Volunteers make the food, write grants and newsletters, and maintain the website.

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