The Community Food Club in Grand Rapids is helping alleviate food insecurity in their community thanks to a little help from the $250,000 Consumers Energy Foundation People Award.  

“We are so grateful for your partnership and grant earlier this year,” said Jon Roberts, Development Director. “We’re excited to share how some of the funds have already made a transformative impact on the Community Food Club, enhancing our ability to serve the growing needs of our community.” 

As of December, the Community Food Club has used some of the grant money to complete critical upgrades.  

  • Infrastructure Enhancements: Replaced outdated drains to ensure our produce cooler operates efficiently and reliably. 
  • Increased Storage: Built and installed a walk-in cooler just in time for Thanksgiving week, allowing us to accommodate larger volumes of fresh food. 
  • Improved Accessibility: Purchased a third checkout lane, which will be installed this month to streamline service for our members. 
  • Refrigeration Upgrade: Installed a new refrigeration unit to maintain the quality of perishable items. 

The impact of the improvements was obvious during Thanksgiving week. “We experienced record-breaking numbers, serving 414 households in a single day. This represents a 15% increase in member visits compared to the previous record day,” said Roberts. And the food donations were up as well. After receiving 40 pallets of donated food in one day, the extra space was critical.  

The Community Food Club is a grocery store that uses a unique model to serve its community. It was an idea born from a group of CEOs in the community who wanted to find a creative way to address food insecurity. But they were focused on more than just accessibility, they wanted it to be affordable and fresh. At the Community Food Club, not only are fresh fruits and vegetables available every day, but they’re also the lowest priced items in the store. Another difference from a standard grocery store is the check-out process — when you get to the register, there is no money needed. Members who shop at the store pay a small monthly fee, and then receive points based on the number of people in their family. About 50% of the Community Food Club’s food comes from donations and the other 50% is purchased through wholesalers.  

“These updates come at a critical time when food access is more important than ever. Food isn’t just a necessity—it’s a way to connect, celebrate, and build community,” said Roberts. “Thanks to the Consumers Energy Foundation’s support, more families can access the healthy, nutritious food they need with dignity and care.” 

There are still more updates coming, including a new software update to help maintain the membership information. While the current system they use was efficient in the beginning, it is not able to scale as they expand. After the Thanksgiving shopping rush one of the volunteers mentioned that all the improvements were great, but a new software program would be helpful. Roberts smiled knowing what was coming, “I said, ‘I think we can make that happen’, knowing Consumers Energy’s got our back.”  

Their unique grocery model is catching on in other places and they have a team in place to help guide other organizations who want to adopt the model. “We’re trying to advocate more for this concept as well as keep up with other innovative things happening in other places,” said Roberts.  

And they keep adapting to their growing customer base. Currently they serve about 350 households a day. Last year, more than 14,800 unique individuals visited the Community Food Club. And almost a quarter of that was new membership growth. 

“Thank you, Consumers Energy, for helping us grow to meet the needs of our neighbors,” said Roberts. “Together, we’re building a stronger, more connected community!”