WEST MICHIGAN — It’s Go Orange Month for Kids’ Food Basket, a time to celebrate what the organization does all year long, providing nutritious meals for more than 10,000 children across west Michigan every day.
But education is also a big part of what KFB is all about, feeding young minds and helping them understand where their food comes from.
The Kids Food Basket Kent County Greenhouse is a place where seeds are started, a place where the organization grows food for the community, and a place where children and adults can learn more about the whole process. It’s something Farm Manager Jason Lundberg lives for. He says, "You wouldn't believe how many children come through here and they don't know where a carrot comes from. They think that they fall out of the sky, or they come from the grocery store. And so, when we pull a carrot out of the soil, we get some pretty big reactions and it's pretty neat when that happens.” He grew up on a farm, and says the experience changed his life. He adds that getting your hands in the dirt is scientifically proven to make you happier.
Volunteers help this greenhouse run year-round, right now, smaller groups are starting seeds, but come spring and summer, Kids’ Food Basket will need hundreds of people to keep things running, harvesting and getting fruits and vegetables to local food pantries. These community partners are exactly that, they have a say in what’s grown here. Lundberg says, "We started to come alongside some of these pantries and using the narrative of we are your farmers, what can we grow for you? So, we don't just pick whatever want. We grow exactly what we're asked to grow. Sometimes culturally appropriate foods come up and so we partner with Northwest Food Pantry, which supports the west Michigan Muslim and Arabic community and so we get special asks for large quantities of eggplant, large quantities of garlic, onions, it's really important to that culture so we grow as much of that as possible."
Kent County has 11 community partners, and the program has been so successful, Kids’ Food Basket is recreating this space to serve both Ottawa and Allegan Counties. The Ridge Point Church in Holland offered 10 acres to KFB for a long term lease and construction has already started. This summer will be the first growing season there. That means more of these opportunities to reach volunteers, community partners, plus lots and lots of kids.
Click here to learn more about Go Orange Month and how you can help Kids’ Food Basket all year long.
