Photo By 1st Lt. Ashley Goodwin | Soldiers from the 1433rd and 1434th Engineer Companies, Michigan Army National Guard,...... read more read more
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LANSING, Mich. – Since March, the Food Bank Council of Michigan has overseen the movement of more than 26,000,000 pounds of food, feeding hundreds of thousands of Michigan families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With assistance from the Michigan National Guard, this marks a 41% increase in the distribution of resources to families in need.
“The National Guard’s involvement has been key to getting more food out to more people throughout this time and they have been such a tremendous help,” says Kath Clark, director of food programs for the Food Bank Council of Michigan. “All of our volunteers do great work, but when the National Guard comes in, they really put their back into it.”
After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order in March, food banks were challenged to find alternative ways to support Michiganders as response efforts to the pandemic continued to strengthen.
“A majority of those working in our food banks are retirees and are at a higher risk of contracting the Coronavirus,” says Clark. “Many of the volunteers decided they were going to follow the order early on, understandably of course, which left us short-staffed.”
Clark explains that as members of the food bank council began putting together a plan, the National Guard came into the conversation as a possible solution. A request for assistance was made through the State Emergency Operations Center, and when approval came through, Clark says it felt like a unified sigh of relief knowing that the guard would be able to assist.
National Guard support was initiated at six locations across the state, including food bank distribution sites in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Comstock Park, Flint, Pontiac, and Royal Oak.
Sgt. Kyle Greenway, 1433rd Engineer Company, Michigan Army National Guard, has been working in the food banks since March.
“This mission has allowed a unique opportunity to directly apply the skills from my civilian career to a military mission. I am the non-commissioned officer in charge at the Gleaners Community Food Bank in Pontiac, Mich. and on the civilian side I am a manufacturing shipping supervisor in Holland, Mich.,” says Greenway. “By combining Good Manufacturing Practices and the hard work ethic of the Michigan National Guard, my team has been able to increase the output of production at our site by over 300%; this is a testament to the readiness and commitment of the Michigan National Guard to serving our fellow Michiganders in times of need.”
The National Guard runs 10-12-person teams at each location to provide the required personnel to keep them operational and will continue to do so for as long as the request for assistance continues.
Food bank supervisors have mentioned that guard members have integrated onto their teams as valued contributors during this unprecedented time of need.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2020 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 372324 |
| Location: | PONTIAC, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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