Wednesday, January 25, was a proud day for the Superior Health Foundation. At a Michigan Harvest Gathering luncheon meeting at the state capitol in Lansing, the SHF was presented a Beacon of Light Award for its two-year work of funding food insecurity issues in the Upper Peninsula. The event was presented by the Food Bank Council of Michigan.
In 2021 and 2022, the SHF – with matching funding support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and the West End Health Foundation – provided $1,041,539.67 to four major projects: Feeding America West Michigan, Partridge Creek Farm, UPCAP and the Upper Peninsula Veterans Community Action Team.
“Needless to say, we’re proud of the work our team and U.P.-wide board of directors have done to address a very important issue,” said Jim LaJoie, executive director of the Superior Health Foundation. “Food insecurity has long been an area of concern in the Upper Peninsula, and the worldwide pandemic only heightened its severity. We are both humbled and appreciative of receiving this award.”