Nutrition Exchange of Southwest Michigan

10/14/2026

Join us in conversation!

09/27/2026

Where you live, what you can afford, and what you can access all shape your health.

Can you afford fresh, nutritious food after paying for housing, utilities, medications, childcare, and transportation? Is there a full-service grocery store nearby? Can you get there? Are the foods recommended for managing diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease actually available and affordable in your community?

Health is shaped by so much more than what happens inside a doctor’s office. Food access, transportation, income, housing, geography, and other everyday realities all influence our ability to live healthy lives.

That’s why we encourage everyone age 18+ across Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties to complete and share the Community Health Needs Assessment survey below.

The more voices represented, particularly from communities facing barriers to healthy food and other essential resources, the better we can understand where gaps exist and what our communities need to thrive.

Your experience matters. Make sure it’s part of the conversation. Take the survey today: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8965187/2026-Community-Survey

What helps your community stay healthy? What challenges do people face? What changes would make the biggest difference?

Through the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) survey, Healthier Communities at Corewell Health South, the Berrien County Health Department, and the Healthy Berrien Consortium are asking community members to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas for a healthier future through the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) survey.

The survey is:
✅ Less than 10 minutes to complete
✅ Available in multiple languages
✅ Open to adults ages 18+ in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties
✅ Open through November 6th

📱 Take the survey today: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8965187/2026-Community-Survey

Your feedback will help guide future programs, services, and partnerships across Southwest Michigan. Your voice. Your community. Your impact.

09/27/2026

Join us!! We'd love to share more about our mission and growing partnerships with you all!!

🌽🥕 Local Food. Better Health. Connected Communities. 🍇🍐

Dad's Farm Berrien Community Foundation

An evening of music, connection, and giving.

Join us for Harvest + Harmony at Commune + Market in Three Oaks, Michigan—an intimate fall gathering celebrating the partnerships that bring nourishment, connection, and better health to our community.

Enjoy cocktails and light appetizers with live performances from Denise Tracy McGowan, jazz musician Elaine Dame, and jazz pianist Jim Sellars.

Gather with us for an evening of meaningful purpose, supporting Meals on Wheels of Southwest Michigan and the Nutrition Exchange of Southwest Michigan as we expand access to nutritious food for older adults, families, and neighbors of all ages experiencing food and nutrition insecurity.


Harvest + Harmony
An evening to gather. A community to nourish.

🍂 Reserve your place at the table. RSVP today and join us for an evening of music, generosity, and community. www.snsmeals.org/events/

Sponsorship opportunities are available. To learn how you or your organization can support this work, call (269) 925-0137.

09/25/2026

🌽🍎 70,050 pounds of local food. $30,000 invested in Michigan agriculture. One incredible community effort.

We are excited to share the final impact of our 2026 Michigan Agricultural Surplus System (MASS) distributions!

Through $30,000 in MASS funding made available by Feeding America West Michigan, the Nutrition Exchange of Southwest Michigan purchased and distributed 70,050 pounds of fresh, locally grown produce across Berrien County during August and September.

To put that impact into perspective, our MASS purchasing demonstrated that every $50 provided approximately 116 pounds of locally sourced, freshly picked produce for distribution through our community’s hunger relief network. Even a modest investment can move a remarkable amount of fresh, nutrient-dense food from local farms to neighbors who need it.

Over three distributions, our pantry partners received apples, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, and sweet corn grown by Barden Farms, Bixby Farms, Epple Family Farm, and Harner Farm.

And MASS was only part of our local purchasing during these two months. Combined with another $20,000 in Nutrition Exchange local and regional food purchasing, we invested approximately $50,000 in Michigan agriculture in August and September alone.

That investment provided our neighbors with high-quality, freshly picked produce, created additional revenue for small and midsized farms, helped move No. 1, No. 2, and surplus produce that might otherwise go to waste, and strengthened our growing farm-to-pantry pipeline.

And moving 70,000 pounds of food takes a village.

Feeding America West Michigan believed in the capacity of our growing network to move a significant volume of fresh produce quickly and efficiently across Berrien County and entrusted us with the funding to put that system to work.

Our incredible Berrien County pantry partners received, stored, packed, and distributed thousands of pounds of fresh food while continuing to serve their communities with care and dignity. Dad's Farm Wholesale provided the farm relationships, aggregation, cold storage, and distribution infrastructure that made this scale possible. Meals on Wheels of SW Michigan provides the Nutrition Exchange’s nonprofit home and organizational oversight, while the Berrien Community Foundation continues to champion the larger food system we are building together.

We are endlessly grateful to the Cook Nuclear Plant Foundation, whose early investment helped turn the Nutrition Exchange from a fledgling idea into a functioning community resource, connecting the delicious food our local farmers work so hard to grow with neighbors throughout our community.

This is what community food infrastructure looks like in action.

🫶 To our funders, farmers, partners, pantry teams, and volunteers: THANK YOU. The pounds demonstrate the scale. Our partners make the impact possible. ❤️

08/26/2026

🥕 Nearly 45,000 pounds of Southwest Michigan-grown food. More than $20,000 invested directly into Michigan agriculture. Over 4,000 households served. All in one month.

This August, the Nutrition Exchange of Southwest Michigan partnered with Feeding America West Michigan through the MASS program to move an incredible amount of fresh, locally-grown food into Berrien County hunger relief sites.

Across two distribution weeks, we purchased and distributed:

🍎 18,520 lbs. of Paula Red and Zestar apples
🌽 12,500 lbs. of locally grown sweet corn
🍑 5,000 lbs. of Red Haven peaches
🫑 5,000 lbs. of peppers
🍅 3,950 lbs. of tomatoes

That’s 44,970 pounds of fresh produce, sourced from Barden Farms, Bixby Farms, Mark Epple Farm, and Harner Farms.

And the impact goes both ways.

💚 $20,083 invested directly into Michigan agriculture
💚 Fresh, nutrient-dense food reaching pantry shelves throughout Berrien County reaching nearly 10,000 of our neighbors in need
💚 Small and midsized farms connected to a growing hunger relief market for their products

This is what we’re working to build through the Nutrition Exchange: a stronger local food system where investments in nutrition security also create economic opportunity for the farmers who feed our communities.

We’re grateful to Feeding America West Michigan for the MASS funding, to Dad's Farm Wholesale for coordinating aggregation and distribution, and to our 20+ pantry partners for getting this beautiful Michigan harvest into the hands of our neighbors!

Berrien Community Foundation Meals on Wheels of SW Michigan Food Bank Council of Michigan

07/17/2026

Today feels like a good day to say thank you to our local farmers and the dedicated teams who work alongside them.

As wildfire smoke continues to impact air quality across Michigan, many of us have been able to stay indoors or limit our time outside. Meanwhile, our farmers are still out in the fields, harvesting crops, caring for livestock, and preparing the fresh, high-quality food that nourishes our communities.

It's easy to take for granted the work that goes into growing our food, but days like today are a reminder that farming isn't just hard work. At times, it can also mean working through difficult and even hazardous conditions to ensure our families, schools, food pantries, restaurants, and grocery stores continue to have access to healthy, local food.

To every farmer, farm worker, and agricultural partner across Southwest Michigan: thank you. Your resilience, commitment, and care for our communities do not go unnoticed.

If you're able, consider showing your appreciation by supporting a local farm or farmers market this week. Every purchase helps sustain the people who help feed our communities.

From all of us at the Nutrition Exchange of Southwest Michigan, thank you for everything you do. 💚🌱

07/01/2026

Fantastic news!!

🩺💜 FREE Medical Clinic at New Heights Laundry Hub 💜🩺

Need basic medical care but don't have health insurance or Medicaid?

Southwest Bridge Health Medical Clinic is here to help!

📅 Every Monday
⏰ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 New Heights Laundry Hub

This clinic provides free medical services for individuals who do not have health insurance or Medicaid.

No appointment needed—just stop by and see how they can help.

Please help us spread the word by sharing this post with friends, family, and neighbors who may benefit from this valuable resource. 💜

06/17/2026

Meet Up & Eat Up Program
This summer, Watervliet Public Schools Nutrition Services will be providing breakfast and lunches through the Meet Up & Eat Up Program again. This will run Monday - Thursday from 7:30am-12:30pm from June 8th - June 25th & July 6th - August 6th. On Thursdays, meals will include breakfast and lunch for the weekend. Pick up will be at our High School Cafeteria.

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

The Meet Up and Eat Up program is serving up free, healthy summer meals for kids and teens in our community. Check the flyer below to find the location and times closest to you, and come eat with us!