Manna Mobile Delivery Program Meets Northern Michigan Communities Where They’re at with Fresh Food Deliveries
Jake Newby
| 4 min read
Jake Newby is a brand journalist for Blue Cross Blue...
Key Takeaways
- The Manna Food Pantry's mobile food delivery program helps expand access to nutritious food in communities with limited grocery options.
- Many Northern Michigan residents Manna serves are homebound older adults and people with disabilities, who struggle to travel and live miles away from full-service grocery stores.
- Manna’s focus is providing produce, protein and dairy products to recipients of its food deliveries.
- During the life cycle of the BCBSM Foundation grant, Manna went from serving an average of 91 people per month at the beginning of 2025 to now serving an average of 170 people each month.
Many Northern Michigan residents in sparsely populated rural areas like Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet counties live miles away from full-service grocery stores. On top of that, these communities are home to many homebound older adults and people with disabilities, who struggle to travel as is.
Recognizing food-access challenges in this area, the Manna Food Pantry in Harbor Springs took its food delivery program to a new level in making almost 100 fresh food deliveries to residents in these counties in 2025. A $15,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Foundation Community Health Matching grant allowed the Manna Mobile Delivery Program to not only bolster its programmatic operations and but also expand its reach to serve more high need individuals at different locations within this tri-county region.
“Overall, it was a really great program that helped us meet the needs of the people in our community,” said Manna Food Project Executive Director Carrie Klingelsmith.
Supporting initiatives like Manna’s mobile food delivery program helps expand access to nutritious food in communities with limited grocery options. Better nutrition can reduce rates of chronic disease, leading to fewer costly medical interventions, which in turn helps control overall health care spending. This is a trickle-down effect that benefits everyone in Michigan’s insurance pool.
Klingelsmith said the BCBSM Foundation grant made a difference right away. In Petoskey, the largest city in Emmet county, apartment complexes previously received one food delivery every three months. But with help from the grant, these low-income complexes now receive deliveries once a month.
“We really are able to reach more people through the funding of the grant that was provided, helping us get food to people on a more regular basis,” said Klingelsmith, who added that resources added as a result of the grant helped them deliver to a new apartment complex in Charlevoix last year that Manna previously did not assist.
What’s in the box? Manna food deliveries bring a balanced diet to your door
Manna’s focus is providing produce, protein and dairy products to recipients of its food deliveries.
“We purchase as much fresh, local produce as possible,” Klingelsmith went on. “We have some canned and dried goods that we deliver and we also have high-quality proteins, like frozen beef and chicken. We really try to make sure there’s a variety there for folks.”
Manna’s “Produce, Protein, and Dairy initiative” allows the organization to purchase farm-fresh produce directly from local growers at or below wholesale prices. Partner agencies then receive a portion of the fruits and vegetables free of charge based on the number of households they serve.
“So, like I said, dairy, protein and produce are important to the people that we serve to make sure they are getting a balanced diet.”
The rewards of giving back: ‘The appreciation we receive lets us know we’re making a difference’
Klingelsmith said she went out on a delivery herself not too long ago. And when she did, she was greeted with a warm embrace from the communities Manna serve.
“A lot of the residents kind of wait for us in the hallway when they see us pull up, and want to be there when we come down and deliver food to their door,” she said. “The ‘thank yous,’ the hugs and the appreciation we receive from the people we’re serving lets us know we’re making a difference and positively impacting the quality of life of the people that we’re serving.”
Manna was present around the holidays, too, delivering special Thanksgiving meal kits made possible by BCBSM Foundation funding. During the life cycle of the grant, Manna went from serving an average of 91 people per month at the beginning of 2025 to now serving an average of 170 people each month.
“(Residents) are super excited and grateful that we are there to help,” Klingelsmith said. “You can feel it. They know they’re not alone in this journey.”
“Reducing food insecurity in rural communities has been a primary focus of ours for years now,” said BCBSM Foundation Program Officer Audrey Rogal. “Manna is a trusted name that’s done amazing work for so long. Partnering with them to give their mobile food delivery program a boost really helps close the food access gap for people in need.”
Learn more about the BCBSM Foundation’s Community Health Matching grant program by clicking here. And click here to learn more about the community-driven solutions BCBSM funds to address health care affordability for all.
