United Ways across Michigan are teaming up with Kellogg Company and food pantries to make sure families stay fed through the summer and beyond.

Summer Stock Up aims to fill the gap for families seeking food assistance during the summer months. Generous donations typically help food pantries stay well-stocked in the winter months, but can drop off when the weather warms up. With the additional demand of having kids at home to feed during summer months, this can leave hard-working families – particularly those who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) – with limited options during this time of year.

“Many of these families rely on school meal programs for up to two meals a day during the school year,” said Laurel Clark, Associate Director of Community Impact at United Way. “With kids at home, there is an increase in demand for food assistance and a drop in supply during the summer when it comes to food pantry shelves.”

Starting June 1, financial donations supporting United Way BCKR’s Summer Stock Up can be made online at changethestory.org/summer-stock-up. Monetary gifts will be used in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo to support food pantries and other efforts to address food insecurity.

Join United Way in helping to alleviate summer hunger for local families this June!

Addressing food insecurity is critical for ALICE

The 2021 ALICE Report, released in March by the Michigan Association of United Ways, showed 39% of the region’s 157,023 households didn’t earn enough to exceed the ALICE threshold—the income needed to be financially stable. Food insecurity is a common struggle for ALICE households; about 14% of residents in our region are food insecure, meaning they aren’t sure where their next meal will come from.

Over the last decade, behind the veneer of a strong economy, conditions have actually worsened for thousands of families across Michigan—setting the stage for the dual health and economic crises of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why?

▪ The cost of living has been increasing for ALICE households.
▪ The economy is increasingly dominated by jobs with low wages and less security.
▪ The number of ALICE households in Michigan increased in response to the Great Recession and never fully recovered.

Summer Stock Up’s Evolution

The statewide Summer Stock Up event evolved out of a popular food drive that was done annually by United Way of Southwest Michigan. In 2020, because of the pandemic, UWSM pivoted from an in-person food drop-off event to a virtual event that provided safe shopping options that allowed donors to “shop their impact” by giving online.

The success of the event caught the attention of Kellogg’s, and the corporation stepped in to help reconceptualize it as a statewide “Summer Stock Up.” As the premiere sponsor, Kellogg’s has been a leader in rallying 23 United Ways in Michigan to the cause. In-person and virtual versions of the event will be available depending on the needs and situations of each United Way.

“We’re proud to team up with our long-time partner, United Way, to help families get access to meals through the Summer Stock Up food drive,” said Steve Cahillane, Kellogg Chairman and CEO. “Summer Stock up is just one of the many ways we’re committed to creating Better Days and helping to address hunger in our communities – during the summer and year-round.”