Imagine watching food prices climb every month while your paycheck stays the same. Now imagine that the one safety net you depend on, your SNAP benefits, just got pulled away. That’s the reality for more than 25,000 families in Kent County right now. And behind every number? A neighbor. A parent. A senior. A child.
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, helps over 1.4 million Michiganders put meals on the table, including more than half a million children. When those benefits are slashed, it’s not just budgets that get tighter. It’s hearts. It’s stomachs. It’s choices no one should have to make, like paying for prescriptions or putting food on the table.
And while food insecurity is a challenge across the board, rural communities like ours are hit especially hard. Twenty-six of the thirty counties with the highest percentage of SNAP users in Michigan are rural. Fewer grocery stores. Higher transportation costs. Longer drives to get the basics. And now? Less help.
At North Kent Connect, We See This Firsthand
Every single family we serve through our food programs relies on SNAP to help make ends meet. We serve more than 1,500 children under 18 each month alone. And as federal support dwindles, local food pantries like ours become the frontline. We’re proud to be here for our neighbors, and the need is growing at an alarming rate.
Our shelves are stocked with compassion, but that can’t fill a grocery bag alone.
Seniors are among the most at risk. Many live on fixed incomes or live alone. Many face chronic health concerns that require careful nutrition, something that’s hard to achieve when you’re choosing between a full pantry and a full prescription bottle. Through our pantry and Meals on Wheels partnership, we serve 825 people over 60 each month, but they deserve more than survival. They deserve dignity, connection, and health.
What Is North Kent Connect Doing About This?
- We create access to fresh, healthy food through our food pantry, mobile pantry, andcommunity gardens.
- Partnering with purpose — Farmers markets, local producers, and powerful allies are key in connecting people to local food.
What Can We Do Together?
The truth is, we can’t do it alone. But we’ve never believed we had to.
Here’s how you can help us meet this moment, together:
- Give what you can — Donate food, funds, or your time. Every can of soup, every dollar, every volunteer hour stretches farther than you think.
- Use your voice — Contact lawmakers and urge them to invest in SNAP and rural food access programs. Our neighbors shouldn’t be invisible just because they live outside the city limits.
Because food insecurity isn’t just a rural issue. It’s not just a “poor person’s problem.” It’s a community challenge, and it deserves a community response.
Meet Betty: A Story of Strength
When Betty retired last year, she thought she’d have enough to get by. But rising prices and a fixed income left her struggling. She started cutting back on produce. Skipping meals. Feeling invisible.
A friend suggested she call North Kent Connect.
She did.
She met with one of our case managers and signed up for our pantry services. She picked up fresh fruit, dairy, and healthy options, things she hadn’t been able to afford in months. On a recent visit, Betty smiled and told us, “I’ve never eaten so well.”
At first, she was nervous. She didn’t want to feel ashamed or like she was taking a handout. Now? She feels like she’s part of a community that wraps around her, not just with groceries, but with grace.
Where You Are Is Not Who You Are
That’s our guiding truth at North Kent Connect. We don’t see people as statistics. We see them as neighbors; each with a story, each with strength, each deserving of dignity.
If federal programs step back, we will step forward—but we’ll need hands to help carry the load.
So let’s do what we’ve always done in northern Kent County. Let’s show up. Let’s give. Let’s care.
Because when one neighbor thrives, we all do.