West Michigan is a place where people care for each other. It is a place where people look out for one another. From simply shoveling an extra patch of sidewalk or dropping off groceries, we do not shy away from helping our neighbors. Â
Today, thousands of West Michigan kids live in food-insecure households. This March, over 45 businesses and organizations have taken the Go Orange challenge to raise funds, resources and awareness for childhood hunger. Participants in the challenge believe that our neighbors should not have to worry about having access to quality nutrition, and they have dedicated their time and resources to activate their community to help. Â
All month, these groups are finding their own ways to make an impact in this critical work. Â
Getting the word out is crucial to making systemic change. As awareness of childhood hunger increases, so does the movement toward food equity. Muskegon Museum of Art has found an innovative way to spread this message by featuring orange works of art from their collection all month long. My Grand Rapids Life has made Kids’ Food Basket their monthly feature to their community of followers. Other partners, like RE/MAX Lakeshore, invited a KFB speaker to their location to amplify our mission. All month long, social media has been striped with orange as partners have spread the message that everyone has something to give.Â
Many partners took this message to heart and decorated the brown paper bags that will contain the 10,000 weekday, healthy evening meals that kids can count on. We often hear that the first thing kids check for when getting their Sack Supper is whether their bags are decorated. Muskegon Central Dispatch 9-1-1 decorated bags during their shift. As of the middle of March, partners like Eagle Alloy, Inc., Fastsigns of Grand Rapids and Fifth Wheel Freight have decorated thousands of Sack Supper bags.Â
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These bags are packed by hundreds of volunteers each day. PNC Bank, the sponsor of Go Orange at Kids’ Food Basket, made time for their employees to prepare servings of fresh food and pack Sack Suppers. Shape Corp., Hulst Jepsen and the Holland Board of Public Works are just a few of the many organizations we will be seeing on the packing floors in our three locations this month!Â
Many items that they will be packing will be gathered by the Wish List drives that partners like Credit Union ONE and All-Flo Plumbing are holding this month. As of mid-March, Quality Tool and Stamping has already collected 75 pounds of food! Â
We are grateful to have a community that works tirelessly alongside us toward a more equitable Michigan, where every child has the nutrition that they deserve. We can do more, together. Â
Join the movement. Play Tic-Tac-Go Orange, or find out how else to Go Orange.Â
Thank you to Go Orange challenge participants:Â
Fifth Wheel Freight |
Flow Rite |
Hulst Jepsen PTÂ |
Lacks Enterprise |
Service Professor |
ADAC Automotive |
Varnum LLPÂ |
Gentex Corporation |
EQI Ltd. |
Meijer Talent Management |
Nowak Machined Products |
Pliant Plastics |
Pulver Chiropractic |
Choice One Bank |
Eagle Alloy, Inc. |
Quality Tool and Stamping |
Mobex Global |
OST USAÂ |
Norton Shores Police Department |
Cannon-Muskegon  |
Core Reality |
BOLD Furniture  |
GE Aviation |
Muskegon County Sheriff Department |
Honeywell |
Barber Ford  |
Shape Corp. |
SpinDance  |
Holland Board of Public Works  |
Worksighted |
Connection Point Church |
Brunswick |
60th District Court |
Fastsigns  |
Merrell |
My Grand Rapids Life |
Novo Chiropractic |
Credit Union ONEÂ |
RE/MAX Lakeshore  |
LBM Advantage |
Mission Design and Automation  |
Muskegon Museum of Art |
All-Flo Plumbing LLCÂ |
Perrigo |
Trinity Health Grand Rapids |
