Building Healthy Places: Healthy Impacts on Rural Communities

MOLLY STEPANSKI, NE Michigan Local Food Coordinator

“How’d we end up getting this fancy lettuce? This stuff is good!” exclaimed a Posen High School student walking through the cafeteria line. As a collaboration between the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and local health departments, the goal of the Building Healthy Places initiatives was to improve access to healthy and affordable food and increase opportunities for physical activity in the places where people live, work, learn, and play. Since 2016, the project has worked across 37 cities within Northern Michigan and Washtenaw County. For schools, restaurants, and retailers, these funds gave businesses the initiative to provide healthier options.

“IT HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE TO SEE THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT THIS PROJECT HAS HAD WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES. A LOT OF THIS WORK HAS BEEN A LAUNCHING POINT FOR LARGER INITIATIVES AND FUTURE COLLABORATION,”

says Ashley Bradshaw, Physical Activity Coordinator of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Schools used these funds to serve healthy, delicious food and to teach where their food comes from. Posen Consolidated Schools (PCS) secured $3,500 in grant funds to upgrade their cafeteria with a new salad bar, an industrial sized smoothie maker, and photos of the local farm where they get their produce to jazz up the cafeteria walls. Another nearby school district, Rogers City Schools, utilized funds to install filtered water fountains outside of their cafeteria and gym. Additionally, some of these funds helped Hillman Community Schools serve over 460 students breakfast and lunch for 81 days during the COVID closure.

Restaurant recipients found ways to offer more nutritious dishes in many creative ways. For example, Nauti Inn Barstro in Cheboygan added an herb and vegetable garden that’s now featured on their menu. Garden plants are trimmed daily for food and beverage preparations with plans to dry and preserve excess yield for year-round use. Already a success, plans for expansion all the way to Water Street have been developed, according to owner Sharen Lange.

Other restaurants like Austin Brothers Beer Company, The Hungry Hippie, and Nourish received money to upgrade their premises with equipment. "The funds from the TLD grant allowed us to buy a new prep table that we use in our day to day operations,” Greg Konwinski, owner of the Hungry Hippie says. “Having the new table has allowed for us to carry a few additional healthy options as well as improve our speed of service." Area retailers Kris Mart, Perch’s IGA, Sand Bay Trading Company, Marine Market, and the Alpena MI Stop Citgo Fueling Station & Deli also utilized the funds to purchase refrigeration equipment and to foster relationships with new local sources.

The Building Healthy Places funding contributed to both the success of area restaurants and retailers through the continued pandemic, as well the health of children in the community.