food insecurity

Ann Arbor’s Food Gatherers is feeling the impact of funding cuts by the United States Department of Agriculture. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert has this report.

Ypsilanti’s SOS Community Services will hold a public meeting on March 19th to address stakeholder and community concerns about funding amid ongoing federal cuts. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has details.

The US Department of Agriculture released a Food Price Outlook economic report forecasting food prices to continue to increase over the next 18 months. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has more on how this might impact local food pantries.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, food insecurity is on high in Washtenaw County. Eileen Spring is president and CEO of Food Gatherers, and she says, since the pandemic, the demand for food assistance has skyrocketed and continues to go up. What is being done to address this glaring community need? Part of the solution also provides some rather amazing environmental benefits. Eileen joined WEMU's David Fair for a discussion on dealing with food insecurity and how food rescue also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Eastern Michigan University is looking to fill the cornucopia of families in need with their "Thankful for You" Thanksgiving giveaway next Thursday. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has more information.

On Tuesday, we will finish up voting in the 2024 election cycle. Food and consumer prices and the economy have been right at the top of the issues people are concerned about. Putting politics aside, the folks at the Ypsilanti Food Co-op have been first-person witnesses to the impacts of these issues. General manager Corinne Sikorski joined WEMU's David Fair with her perspective on what it has meant to the bottom line and to the customers the co-op serves in our community.

For 53 years, the People’s Food Co-op in Ann Arbor has served the community in unique and interesting ways. The People’s Food Co-op is open to everyone but it's also a membership service. What role does it play in Ann Arbor? The co-op's General Manager, Angie Voiles, and Community Outreach and Communications Director, Troy Clarke, joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the People's Food Co-op impact's in Ann Arbor.

The price of food is forcing some people to make some difficult decisions. The level of food insecurity among college students is increasing dramatically. Swoop's Food Pantry at Eastern Michigan University has seen the level of service it provides increase in recent years, and the projection is that the need will only grow. WEMU's David Fair talked with Swoop’s Pantry graduate assistant Colton Ray about what it takes and what it’s going to take to help a growing number of EMU students.

Food and housing insecurity continue to grow in our community. For the unhoused, it is a constant struggle to stay warm and fed. That's where FedUp Ministries steps in. During the summer, it provides food to those in need with a mobile food truck, while in the winters, it visits area warming centers to provide food. Now, FedUp is providing its WashUp services with a mobile shower vehicle to provide hygiene and dignity to the unhoused. FedUp Ministries board president Tajalli Hodge joins Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale to discuss new services and the plan for more in the near future.

Ypsilanti nonprofits that are set up to help those with food insecurities are seeing an increase in the numbers looking for their assistance. On today's "On the Ground Ypsi," WEMU's Cathy Shafran and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale discuss how some of those nonprofits are working to address the increased needs with Andrea Kelly, an Eastern Michigan University grad assistant at Swoop's Food Pantry.