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By Brooke Hammond, MCP Intern
LUDINGTON — The Lakeshore Food Club, located at 920 E. Tinkham Ave., is a nonprofit grocery store that acts as a supplement or main source of grocery shopping to residents of Mason County for those at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
Member Margaret Holey frequents the Club. “I have been using the food club for over a year,” Holey said, adding that she believes Mason County residents are eating healthier foods because of the influence and accessibility of the Lakeshore Food Club.
“They have lots of fresh veggies, sometimes they are so overcrowded with them that sometimes it is free,” said Holey.
Members like Holey enjoy the benefits of having access to fresh healthy food.
“I might go in there and they might have a nice big pork loin or a nice big fat chicken that I can buy. I myself cannot afford to buy that every day,” said Holey.
Holey said she enjoys having easier access to the food club due to her location; however, she also sees from working at the Tallman Senior Center in Branch Township, that not everyone has the same level of access that she has due to a lack transportation.
“People out here go to Dollar General (in Walhalla) for a little higher price because it is cheaper to go there than all the way to Ludington,” said Holey.
“Our mission is to provide dignified access to fresh healthy foods and other essential resources,” said O’Nealya Gronstal, executive director of Lakeshore Food Club. “We are not a food pantry; we are a nonprofit grocery store.”
According to statistics gathered by the Lakeshore Food Club one in six households in Mason County use the Lakeshore Food Club as a supplement or main source for purchasing groceries.
The Lakeshore Food Club operates on a point-based system. Members pay a membership fee based on the income level as well as number of individuals within the household.
“Our members pay a membership fee,” Gronstal said. “The fee is never to pay for the food we purchase, it is to pay for the program. Everything in the store is priced according to points. The healthier the food the fewer points it is. We are incentivizing without controlling,” said Gronstal.
Self-verification membership applications are open to residents of Mason County or individuals who have a student who attends a Mason County school or individuals who are employed in Mason County.
“We are working tirelessly to remove barriers to food access,” Gronstal said. “When we remove barriers, you don’t need to prove that you need help. We are a building of yes and not no.”
The Food Club serves an average of 110 households a day, Gronstal said.
Holey also mentioned that she wishes the Lakeshore Food Club would consider opening a facility in Scottville so those in rural areas would not have to commute into Ludington each time.
“I heard about the program through people talking about it,” Holey said. “I did not know what you had to do to join it. I just happened to go into Michigan Works one day and it was right next door. I went over and checked it out.”
The Lakeshore Food Club offers a variety of services alongside the nonprofit grocery store. There are showers and a laundry area available to members and other local agency clients who need access to such facilities.
“We are 100% consumer choice,” Gronstal said. “People come in and they choose what they can take. The only time we limit is when there is a limited supply or if there is a shortage,” said Gronstal.
“I really like going even if I don’t buy anything,” Holey said. “I like going in there and seeing what they have. I don’t necessarily make a special trip to town but if I do go to town that is when I go over there.”
Holey also spoke highly of the generosity of the staff at the Lakeshore Food Club.
“I happened to be in the hospital for three days and I still had points left and they expired. I went to renew my points and the lady that works in the office noticed that I had not been in for a few days, but she gave me permission to use my expired points. She didn’t have to let me do that. I would think that she has done that for others before.”
“Our fastest growing population is the senior citizens,” Gronstal said. “Our senior citizens are on fixed incomes,” said Gronstal.
Gronstal said transportation is often a struggle for the senior citizens of Mason County. The Lakeshore food club allows for authorized shoppers—individuals who are not members but shop for those who are members.
“Overall, the main barrier to food access faced by the senior population is unreliable transportation, and most seniors are one or more of the food groups in their daily diets,” Gronstal said. “We listen to our members; we do our best to provide for them what they need that crosses over to what they want,” said Gronstal.
The Lakeshore Food Club is a charitable non-profit organization that is funded by grants and donations.
“We are funded through grants and philanthropy,” Gronstal said. “We participate in food rescue—good food but is not sellable. The vast majority is through local philanthropy. I am constantly fundraising,” said Gronstal adding that that 90% of the Food Club’s food must be purchased by the organization.
Learn more about the Lakeshore Food Club at www.lakeshorefoodclub.org.
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