Many thanks to Douglas, Fennville, Saugatuck and the surrounding areas of Allegan county for supporting the Feeding the Gap initiative, which began at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. Feeding the Gap provided supplemental weekend backpack meals to children and families in Allegan county.

Children First Lakeshore (CFL) was formed in 2017 with the mission of providing weekend backpack meals to children impacted by hunger. Prior to the pandemic, CFL was serving 30 students in Douglas and approximately 275 students in Fennville. Many of these students relied on receiving breakfast and lunch from school.

Our goal for Feeding the Gap was to raise $180,000 to ensure the children receive nourishment during this challenging time. We were extremely fortunate to help students at Douglas Elementary, Saugatuck Middle and High Schools, Fennville Elementary and Middle Schools, Innocademy of Fennville and The Glenn School. In addition to the respective schools delivering food to the children’s homes, there were designated pick up locations available for families to receive food. The numbers of those in need increased exponentially each week with our numbers reaching over 900 during the last few weeks. We always strive to keep our expenses low, and at $7 per weekend food pack, our weekly expenses could amount to $8,400 if we reach out capacity of 1200 students per week.  

While we received many generous donations from individuals and organizations, and do our best to secure discounts on food, we are still in need of your help. We remain in difficult and unchartered times as we prepare for the upcoming school year. We must be flexible in supporting the students learning at home, as well as in person at school. The families are counting on us for support and we must continue to be there for them.

Your ongoing support is essential. Please donate online or by sending a check made payable to Children First Lakeshore to P.O. Box 980 Douglas, MI 49406.