5Loaves2FishNMI

2026 Impact100 TC $120,000 Grant Recipient.

5Loaves2FishNMI Co-Founders Michelle and Bill White, with dedicated volunteers, came together in 2020 with a mission “to promote compassion by providing nourishing meals, infused with love, to those experiencing food insecurity and homelessness”. Leland Community United Methodist Church’s kitchen became the permanent location for planning, preparing, and packaging delicious homemade meals, transporting them directly to hungry guests in the Grand Traverse region, with no questions asked. To date,100,000 meals have been served.

5Loaves2FishNMI proposes to purchase a 2026 Ford F59 P700 14 foot Step Van to be retrofitted with an upgraded electrical system and two solar panels, two hot boxes, a refrigeration unit, custom cabinet storage, van shelving, two folding tables, an exterior wrap, and two rear racks. This vehicle would replace the current 2014 Dodge Van to provide a much needed increase in capacity, easier loading and unloading, as well as overall safer, more reliable delivery of homemade meals to designated meals sites in the Grand Traverse region. The van would also serve to transport food and equipment to fundraisers and educational events.

COMMUNITY TO BE SERVED 5Loaves2FishNMI provides nourishing homemade meals primarily to vulnerable individuals and families in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Benzie Counties. At Traverse City Veterans Memorial Park and Safe Harbor Emergency Shelter in Traverse City, guests are generally unsheltered, facing mental health challenges, and/or struggling with substance abuse or other issues. These are the folks that need the dignity offered from a meal made with love and served with no questions asked. Those guests who visit food pantries and meal sites in Lake Leelanau, Leland, Empire, Lake Ann, Suttons Bay, Peshawbestown, and Northport gratefully receive this food for themselves or a struggling friend or neighbor. 5L2F believes every person to be worthy of a nutritious meal. As this basic need is met, energy and dignity can be restored, allowing each guest to focus on other important life matters. Each time the 5L2F van arrives filled with delicious food, guests often appear to lend a hand unloading and setting up the meal site.

According to United Way, economic disparity reveals growth in the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population of the Grand Traverse region. These individuals are hovering above the Federal Poverty Line, often unable to afford life’s basic necessities such as food and healthcare. ALICE households numbered 23% in Grand Traverse County (5% in poverty); 38% in Leelanau County (7% in poverty); and 27% in Benzie County (11% in poverty). According to Ashley Halliday-Schmandt, Director of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness, there are approximately 260 individuals in the area. In addition, Traverse City Area Public Schools reported 500 students as being homeless. Based on the per capita income of Michigan’s 83 counties, the Grand Traverse region ranked as follows: Leelanau County 2nd, Grand Traverse County 9th, and Benzie County 19th. As wealth increases in this area with financially comfortable individuals relocating or retiring here and a thriving tourist economy, there has been simultaneous growth of struggling young families, the elderly, and other vulnerable individuals.

The community being served by 5Loaves2FishNMI generally lacks resources for basic human needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and household goods. With its aging van, the outreach delivers food directly to hungry individuals at area food pantries and meal sites. In addition, a community meal is offered weekly in the Leland Community Methodist Church fellowship hall, serving up to 100 individuals and families. This meals allows busy families, isolated individuals, and those struggling an opportunity to reach out to one another and strengthen their community. There is also a food pantry located at LCUMC for anyone needing extra food. The purchase a safer, more reliable vehicle, will greatly enhance 5L2F’s mission to feed people. Since its inception, the outreach has witnessed extensive growth in the number of meals served and with it a need for improved means of transporting those meals. The proposed 2026 Ford F59 P700 14 foot Step Van would allow more meals to safely reach food insecure guests and support the region’s food pantries and meal sites that serve them. The current van is inefficient and at times unsafe. Besides rising food costs, recent changes to Safe Harbor as a year around shelter and the closing of the Pines Campground have impacted the number of those struggling. At Traverse City Veterans Memorial Park hungry guests continue to arrive on foot, by bicycle, or in their cars (some of which double as shelter!), as they pick up meals for themselves and struggling friends and neighbors.

Co-Founders Bill and Michelle White, along with significant input and guidance from Kitchen Manager Josh Miller, would oversee the van’s purchase along with its upgrades. The new vehicle would be stored at LCUMC. This initiative would be transformative on many levels. The addition of refrigeration and hot boxes would ensure that nutritious food would be delivered in compliance with health and safety standards. Additional spacious storage areas for meals and supplies, combined with the ease of loading and unloading, would enhance the energy efficiency of 5L2F staff and volunteers. Also, this new retrofitted vehicle would improve driver and passenger safety, liability, and sustainability. Built to withstand unpredictable Northern Michigan weather, this van would allow nutritious meals to safely reach hungry guests in a timely manner. The attached exterior racks would accommodate extra equipment for transport as well. 5L2F’s expanded independence and geographical outreach would be an additional beneficial result. As the number of hungry guests expand, the current van poses safety concerns as it ages. Its diminished capacity and frequent repair needs cost 5L2F precious dollars that could otherwise be spent on food. This van is difficult to handle, especially in windy, rainy, and/or snowy weather, and threatens driver and passenger safety. It also lacks adequate storage space and is ergonomically inefficient for loading and unloading food and supplies. Should 5L2F continue at LCUMC or change locations in the future, the proposed van would be sustainable by following the organization to its new venue. Read More

Check out: 5Loaves2FishNMI Wishlist & Website