JACKSON, MI -- Five weeks of food purchased from local restaurants and distributed to Jackson residents has already resulted in more than 18,000 meals and nearly $200,000 for the local restaurant economy.
The Our Town meal distribution program through Consumers Energy and the city of Jackson began passing out free meals three days a week at the beginning of February. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, volunteers distribute about 1,200 pre-packaged dinners from Jackson-area restaurants at the MLK Center, 1107 Adrian St.
Next week, 11 new restaurants will begin supplying meals.
The first-come, first-served program runs from 4 to 6 p.m., but most meals are distributed within the first hour and a half, city officials said.
“The huge demand we see for meals really shows how much the pandemic is impacting Jackson,” MLK Center Director Antonio Parker said in a statement. “This is something families depend on to make ends meet, and they tell us how thankful they are for this program.”
Consumers partnered with other community organizations to raise nearly $500,000 for the program. Restaurants are paid $10 per meal and must locally source at least half of the food and have a vegetarian option.
Program leaders modeled Our Town after a similar meal distribution plan in Brattleboro, Vermont, getting the idea from an NBC Nightly News special on it. The number of meals was decided by estimating the poverty and food insecurity levels in Jackson.
“We are overwhelmed by the Jackson community’s response to Our Town and are grateful Consumers Energy and our community partners are making such an impact,” Roger Curtis, Consumers Energy’s vice president of public affairs, said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see our local restaurants being helped and that thousands of people will not go hungry as our hometown emerges from the pandemic.”
Here are the 11 restaurants providing meals for the next five weeks:
- Veritas
- The Crazy Cowboy
- Nite Lite
- Cascades Manor House
- KeniKakes & More Catering
- Marino’s Pizza and Catering
- Junkyard Dog
- Sylvia’s Catering
- HotRodz Smokehouse
- Aggies Sports Bar
- Callaghan’s Coffee Cafe
There will be no meal distribution on Good Friday, Friday, April 2. Instead, the meal distribution will occur on Thursday, April 1.
The program is expected to run until April 9, though officials say it could last longer with more funding. More information, including how to donate, is available online.
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