GRATEFUL FOR ANOTHER YEAR 

As the Director of Lakeshore Food Club, I often point to statistics to paint a picture of our impact. While notable, these numbers are more than just stats to me. They characterize the real faces of our neighbors who walk through the doors seeking nourishment for their families in our friendly grocery store environment. They represent the single mom of four who always stops me to say hello and even offer an occasional hug. They include the senior woman who recently sat in my office to tell me, as I passed her a box of tissues, that her husband had just died. And the family of seven who works incredibly hard but finds supporting the essentials of daily living too overwhelming for their paychecks. Or the retired grandparents who try to stretch their fixed incomes to feed and meet the needs of their grandchildren, now living with them. While each of these households confronts financial challenges, the common thread between them all is their gratitude for not just food, but compassion, support, and dignity at the Food Club.

I am beyond grateful to all those who continue to help keep our doors open and our shelves stocked. We have kept up with the demand thus far, but remain busy as ever. It is only with our combined efforts and your generosity that we’ll be able to continue to sustain hundreds of monthly member households. We humbly thank you for helping us continue our efforts and keeping us in your giving plans.

Happy holidays,

Sarah McMahon, Director

Volunteer Currents

MEET MEL & BECKY

Mel Bradley and Becky Erickson are the co-chairs of Lakeshore Food Club’s Community Development Committee. They oversee the work of the committee whose charge is to promote the mission of the Lakeshore Food Club by providing outreach and education to the community, assisting in recruiting volunteers and supporting fundraising efforts. The pair develop agendas, run meetings, volunteer at events and do a lot of work!!! Mel and Becky are working with Empty Bowls co-chairs Sara Bolan and Andrew Peterson and other committee members to organize this fundraising event scheduled for March 7.

Mel has been volunteering at the Food Club since the first days of operation and works routinely on Tuesdays and other days as needed. She has helped with the volunteer and donor recognition events, picked donated apples and lent a hand for the Cans for Cans fundraising drive. Her husband Bill built two tables for the online auction leading up to the Empty Bowls fundraising dinner. Mel says she wanted to do something worthwhile, and “the Food Club is a win-win, working with wonderful volunteers and interacting with wonderful families.”

Mel and Bill moved to Ludington five years ago, from the east coast, to be close to their daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons who lived in Manistee. Their son is a teacher in Prague. Mel and Bill were both born and raised in Brooklyn, and lived in New England after college. Mel enjoyed a career in nursing and Bill worked for utility companies.

Becky has been volunteering at the Food Club over the past year, and has jumped right in. She volunteers at various times when there is a need and has helped out at functions, the Cans for Cans event and also picked apples to help stock the Food Club. Her connection to the Ludington community has been beneficial in planning the Empty Bowls event, especially in securing food donations. Becky employs the philosophy of, start where you are, use what you have and do what you can, in her work at the Food Club.

Becky lived in Mount Pleasant before moving to Ludington in 1991, where she met her husband Jon. She has worked in food management, at Ludington Schools and currently for United Way of Mason County. Jon is retired from Ludington Schools where he was a teacher and principal. Becky and Jon enjoy spending time with their families, recently hosting Thanksgiving for 25! They cherish time spent with their three grandchildren when they visit from New York.