Article written by: Rachael Cougler
An Aside from Oryana
We reached out to the Northwest Food Coalition to be our November Groceries for Good recipient before news broke of the USDA’s pause on the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). As millions of Americans, including many children, prepare to lose access to these essential benefits, supporting local food pantries has never been more critical.
The Northwest Food Coalition serves as a vital lifeline for our community, ensuring that families have access to healthy, nourishing food year-round. As we approach the holiday season, we encourage everyone to take a moment to give back and help others put food on the table, not just for the holidays, but for their everyday well-being.
To take immediate action and make a donation, please visit the link at the end of this article. Thank you Oryana shoppers for continuing to show up for your community.
Northwest Food Coalition: Continuing the Fight Against Hunger in Our Community
Founded in 1994 as part of a grassroots initiative by the Hunger Action Coalition of Detroit, the Northwest Food Coalition has grown from a handful of local food pantries into a robust network of over 75 food pantries, meal sites, baby pantries, and food security programs across northwest Michigan. This Coalition is the last remaining group from the original statewide movement and continues to serve communities in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Kalkaska counties.
The mission of the Northwest Food Coalition is to empower member food programs by coordinating and creating resources to achieve regional food security. Food insecurity affects 14% of the region’s population – meaning one out of seven families in our communities are struggling to access food that supports a healthy lifestyle. The Coalition and its members are working to address this challenge by creating opportunities for our vulnerable neighbors to access nutritional food with fewer barriers. Coalition members range from large organizations with extensive services to small, volunteer-run sites. In exchange for submitting simple statistics, attending monthly meetings, and maintaining a safe, inclusive environment, the Coalition provides members with support through education and opportunity sharing, connection and networking with key community partners, and access to healthy, local food – at no cost through the Coalition’s Farm2Neighbor program. In the Coalition, members are encouraged to share challenges, trends, and opportunities to address food insecurity and collaborate to find solutions.
Coalition members operate in diverse settings, including schools, churches, mental health centers, tribal centers, transitional housing, and township buildings. Community meal sites also play a vital role, with some members delivering meals to homebound individuals, setting up in public spaces to create a greater sense of community, and partnering with Safe Harbor, Traverse City’s overnight shelter, to provide hot meals during colder months.
A key initiative of the Coalition is the Farm2Neighbor program, which purchases produce and proteins from local area farmers and shares these items with area pantries and meal sites. Since its inception, Farm2Neighbor has purchased from over 30 local farms and sourced more than 35 varieties of agricultural products—from rainbow carrots and purple cauliflower to eggs and potatoes. With the support from grants and donors, the Coalition can offer fair-market prices for these products and maintain a consistent market for these producers. These healthy food options provide much needed nutrition for those in our food insecure community, and alleviates some of the logistical challenges members may face when it comes to procuring fresh, healthy, and local foods.
The Coalition is working in conjunction with its emergency food provider network to address challenges that can arise from cuts to Medicaid and food assistance program benefits like SNAP. To support this work, consider attending or sponsoring the 4th Annual Empty Bowls event on May 3, 2026, at Howe Arena in Traverse City’s Civic Center. All proceeds benefit the Farm2Neighbor program.
Tickets are available at both Oryana customer service desks or online at http://www.northwestmifoodcoalition.org/
