April 19 “Day of Action” for Food Security

Indivisible Newaygo County (INC) is calling for community action around Food Security on Saturday, April 19. Gathering from 12noon to 2pm, the public is welcomed to meet in front of City Hall in downtown Newaygo before peacefully walking the sidewalks handing out information and collecting donations for local food services.

The Rally for Food Security will bring attention to Federal cuts in funding for food and agricultural programs that are affecting local food pantries as well as farmers. 
INC members will collect donations of non-perishable food items that will be given to local food pantries, as well as funds that will go to NCRESA Great Start for their community garden projects.

Funds collected will also be donated to Indivisible Newaygo County’s “Victory Garden Initiative.” This Garden Initiative encourages community members to grow vegetables that can help stretch food budgets, and provide families with fresh and healthy nutrition at their doorstep.
This spring the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) was mandated to cut funding. This led to the cancellation of $1 billion in Federal funding for local food purchases through the Local Food for Schools and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs. Newaygo County’s local food pantries are feeling the pinch of decreased food and funds.

Feeding America West Michigan states that more than half of the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program’s truckloads of food ordered from the USDA for April through July have been cancelled. That amounts to 32 semi-trailer loads of protein and fresh dairy that were planned for distribution to hundreds of communities in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. (Feeding American West Michigan, March 26, 2025).
Sudden funding cuts are impacting local farmers as well. A USDA program that provided funds to purchase food for pantries from local farmers will end on Sept. 30. And several West Michigan farmers have lost funds that assisted with labor costs and farm improvements even after the farms met their obligations and spent their own money, leaving them with thousands of dollars of unintended debt.  Farmers also fear that current and proposed tariffs will impact costs of fertilizer and agricultural equipment, and decrease or eliminate their sales of products such as soy beans to international markets. (Bridge Michigan, March 2025). 
The April 19 “Day of Action” was initiated by the 50501 organization, and encourages communities and organizations to come together in support of local needs and issues. Indivisible Newaygo County chose Food Insecurity as the focus of this event due to the number of families in Newaygo County that depend on food assistance through SNAP, school breakfast and lunch programs, and food pantries. 
To receive information about Indivisible Newaygo County events, email: [email protected].

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