Voices for Food Access

Help with Basic Needs

Basic needs—like food, housing, healthcare, employment, and transportation—are essential to living a healthy life. When these needs go unmet, it can be difficult to focus on overall health and wellness. Free, local help is available. Explore the resources below to find support or discover ways to help your community.

Get Connected to Support

Community Connections

A confidential, one-on-one service that helps you navigate complex systems to access the resources you need. Support is available through phone calls, office visits, or home visits.
Serves 31 counties in Michigan.

Michigan 2-1-1

In partnership with Heart of West Michigan United Way, 2-1-1 connects you to essential services with just one call. Serves all counties in Michigan.
Dial 2-1-1 or Text your ZIP code to 898211

Find Food

Food is essential for our health and well-being. We all need nourishment to thrive—and it's okay to ask for help when you need it. Whether you're looking for a meal today or want to support food access in your community, these resources can help:

Find food resources in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties via the Northwest Food Coalition interactive map:

Find Food - Northwest Food Coalition | Northwest Food Coalition of Northern Michigan

Find Food resources in Charlevoix, Emmet, Manistee, Missaukee, and Wexford Counties:

Find Food - Feeding America West Michigan

Find food resources in Crawford, Otsego, and Roscommon Counties:

Food Pantry Locator - Food Bank of Eastern Michigan

Want to Help?

There are many ways to support food access in Northern Michigan:

  • Attend Empty Bowls or another fundraising event in support of extending food access across local communities. 
  • Share resources with neighbors and listen with compassion and respect.
  • Volunteer your time at local food pantries or community kitchens.
  • Learn and educate about barriers to healthy food—like transportation, affordability, and rural infrastructure.
  • Advocate for local solutions like farmers markets, teaching kitchens, and nutrition education.
  • Support local growers and producers who feed our communities and sustain our regional food systems.
  • Celebrate traditions like gardening, preserving, hunting, and cooking—honoring generational wisdom.
  • Challenge stigma around hunger and poverty by using compassionate, person-first language.