On April 18, 2016, volunteers from Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, together with seven other Michigan electric cooperatives, assembled 10,500 meals for donation to the Kids Against Hunger Coalition.

Child hunger remains a serious problem in Michigan, with one in five kids not getting enough food regularly.  When children lack access to nutritious meals, they don’t have what they need to reach their fullest potential.

PIE&G employees helped assemble fortified soy-rice casserole-style meals specifically formulated to meet the nutritional needs of children. These packaged meals were then distributed by each co-op to local food banks in their respective service territories throughout Michigan.  Recipients in PIE&G’s service area include Atlanta Church of Christ – The Caring Place, Hillman United Methodist and Calvary Episcopal Food Pantry, Presque Isle Food / Baby Pantry and The Salvation Army – Cheboygan County Emergency Food Pantry.

“Participating in this service project with my cooperative colleagues and partnering with Kids Against Hunger was a rewarding experience,” says Brian Burns, CEO at PIE&G. “As an electric co-op, ‘Commitment to Community’ is one of our guiding principles. This project was yet another opportunity to put that principle into action.”

The 2016 food packing project was a new activity added to an annual conference attended by Michigan’s electric cooperatives.