Food Club & Opportunity Hub
A flagship initiative of Community Action House
Powered by your community | Open for service on October 25, 2021
Dramatically expanding healthy food access in a high-dignity, high-choice environment
For over 50 years, Community Action House has served some of our most marginalized neighbors here on the West Michigan Lakeshore. A place where struggle isn’t met with stigma, but with compassion, service, and partnership. In 2019 (our 50th year!), we embraced an even more ambitious programmatic vision. Food Club is a proven model offering dramatically expanded service, wider impact, greater efficiency, and a more welcoming experience.
We’re so encouraged that thanks to the generosity of so many, this vision is now a reality. Learn more, get involved, and join the movement.
How Food Club Works
The current food system is divided with no middle ground: limited free food for some and full price for others. The Food Club model is a big, systemic response focused on improving healthy food access in a high-dignity, high-choice environment. Qualifying low-income residents opt in by purchasing a membership, which provides food access at more convenient hours, all in a bright and inviting grocery-store style space staffed by volunteers.
Moreover, our Food Club is intentionally designed with an adjacent ‘Opportunity Hub’ where members will find a streamlined, efficient, one-stop shop as they work with our program teams to set goals, address challenges, and access new resources. This model is designed to be a high dignity experience where our neighbors in need can come for the food they need, but leave with a plan for progress, and a partner in that journey.
Community Collaboration
This initiative is bigger than Community Action House. Ottawa Food, an Ottawa County Health Department-led collaboration representing over 45 local agencies and individuals focused on increasing access to healthy, affordable food choices, has championed bringing this model to the lakeshore, and is working closely with us as we take this big step. This effort is in response to community needs and trends, reduces duplication, and fills a unique gap in our current food system. It has the support of the key players in the food security space, and we’re not only taking action with the blessing of our partners, but with their active participation.
Help Power Food Club!
At the onset of COVID, Community Action House had to expand service over threefold. We’re so glad to launch Food Club, a model that can serve at scale, providing welcoming, efficient food assistance to the thousands of our neighbors in need as we all build back together.
Your support can sustain and grow this reinvention our region’s approach to food access. Here on the Lakeshore, we’re at our strongest when everyone has the opportunity to achieve a healthier, more hopeful future. We need YOU to help sustain these incredible new services at our Food Club & Opportunity Hub. Please join us and help ensure healthy food and hopeful futures for all!
“I can confidently state that this new initiative is in response to a clear community need and fills a gap in our current service. Moreover, this approach is the sort of innovation we seek - one that serves at scale while enhancing the dignity, participation, and choice of people in need.”
— Patrick Cisler, Executive Director, Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance & Community SPOKE