Northmen Den receives $6,000 donation for appliances, food in Pellston and Alanson

Karly Graham, The Petoskey News-Review
·3 min read

PETOSKEY — The Northmen Den Youth Services received a $6,000 donation to help provide students with fresh food and appliances to take home at the Alanson and Pellston student food pantries.

As a part of the Groundwork Center for Resilient Community’s “Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign,” the money will help develop the youth pantry's program and accommodate infrastructure improvements and food to fill the Northmen Den Youth Pantries at Pellston’s Hornet’s Nest and Alanson’s Viking Vault.

Northmen Den Youth Pantries Executive Director Kathy Petersen said in a release that the students will be able to sample meals and learn how to make the recipes. With their parents' permission, students will also be given an appliance of their choice to bring home.

More: Northmen Den Youth Services discusses growth, mentorship in food pantries

“We are honored to receive this grant to help our youth learn how to make easy, nutritious meals using electric griddles, skillets and slow cookers every Friday when the Viking Vault and Hornet's Nest pantries are open,” Petersen said in the release. “It will be great fun for all students to watch and sample the recipes.”

Petersen added that it’s important to her to have a good understanding of what a nutritious meal looks like, and to use cooking as a way to have fun during the weekends.

(From left) Matt Meyer, Wyatt Smeal, Isaac Goff, Ella Bohn, Dana Ross, Carole Winnard, Cori Fitzpatrick, Chris Schlappi, Kathy Petersen, Jonathan Meyer, Ward Bollinger and Cassidy Hough pose for a photo.
(From left) Matt Meyer, Wyatt Smeal, Isaac Goff, Ella Bohn, Dana Ross, Carole Winnard, Cori Fitzpatrick, Chris Schlappi, Kathy Petersen, Jonathan Meyer, Ward Bollinger and Cassidy Hough pose for a photo.

Meyer Ace Hardware helped provide the $6,000 worth of appliances and served as a sponsor for the program. In the release, Matt Meyer said the appliances were provided at wholesale prices for the pantry.

“When I heard about the need to buy $6,000 worth of appliances, Meyer Ace Hardware was thrilled to help our pre-teens and teens learn that cooking is fun and healthier than eating snacks,” Meyer said. “Our employees and staff believe all Emmet County children deserve nutritious and healthy food. We have been a proud supporter of Northmen Den Youth Services since opening their first pantry in the Petoskey Middle School in 2016.”

If the program is a success, Petersen said she hopes to bring it to the other pantries and school districts.

According to the release, Pellston’s Hornet’s Nest usually sees around 112 students each Friday, and Alanson’s Viking Vault Youth Pantry usually sees around 85 students.

Kathy Petersen shares an update about the Northmen Den Youth Services food pantries during a Public Schools of Petoskey Board of Education meeting on Nov. 16, 2023.
Kathy Petersen shares an update about the Northmen Den Youth Services food pantries during a Public Schools of Petoskey Board of Education meeting on Nov. 16, 2023.

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The Northmen Den Youth Pantry manages 15 pantries with more than 60 volunteers. Across the pantries, around $14,000 worth of food is distributed to the students each month, Petersen said.

“It's just really important for them to see what a refrigerator should look like, rather than having it be empty,” she said.

Petersen said the Northmen Den Youth Services helps teach students about what their bodies need to grow into healthy teenagers and adults.

“It’s not just a shopping experience,” she said.

For more information on the Northmen Den Youth Services, visit northmendens.org.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Pellston, Alanson student food pantries stocked with appliances