Founded in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has been funding important initiatives that improve the lives of communities across the country and globe. The foundation focuses on programs that support education, the environment, and basic human needs. Since their inception, the Caterpillar Foundation has invested $685 million “to alleviate global poverty and make sustainable progress possible,” according to their website. The foundation’s mission is “to alleviate poverty and place people on the path to prosperity.” Feeding America West Michigan is lucky to be a partner in fulfilling that mission.
In the fall of 2017, the Caterpillar Foundation generously donated more than $17,000 to fund mobile food pantry distributions in Menominee County. The county, located in the rural Upper Peninsula, has a 12.4% food insecurity rate with more than 2,900 people living with food insecurity. 80% of the population in this county fall below the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program guideline at 200% of the poverty line.
The grant from the Caterpillar Foundation funds monthly mobile pantries at Abundant Life Mission in Menominee, with a goal of serving 45,000 pounds of food to 600 individuals. The grant period will run from September 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018, and the food served to the residents of Menominee County will allow families who live with food insecurity to thrive throughout the year.
