Did you know that many families ( 38% ) experience food insecurity in our region? Step Up Northern Michigan takes a unique approach by supporting 6 local food pantries located within schools. We partner with @Food Rescue of Northern Michigan and the Northwest Food Coalition to purchase local farmer produce and groceries so that our most vulnerable students have access to food on a daily basis.
Welcome our new Executive Director Nikki Kettlewell! We are fortunate to have her passion for helping others and a let’s “get-it-done” attitude.
Nikki is a wellness enthusiast with a Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness and Health Promotion from Oakland University. During her time there, she served as the secretary of the WHP Society. After graduating, she spent five year at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills as an Employee Wellness Coordinator, overseeing programs like nutrition , weight management, and smoking cessation.
Outside of her corporate role, Nikki has built a business as a trading assistant for her clients, specializing in selling women’s and children’s boutique clothing. She enjoys volunteering at her daughter’s school, traveling with her family, photography, camping, and exploring northern Michigan’s beaches and hiking trails. Nikki’s home is in traverse City, where she resides with her husband , teen daughter, and two dogs.
Students engaged in an UNO competition!
Thank you to these out going Board members who helped start Step Up Northern Michigan back in April of 2016. We have grown to seven locations with our efforts to battle food insecurity and have greatly supported the students and staff at T C High School for the last 6 1/2 years. We wish Rebecca Galsterer, Jennifer McDowell Weekly, Krissy Kernan and Erin Simon the best as they move on to other personal and professional endeavors! Thank you!
It was a nice surprise to receive some very nice thank you cards from the students at Traverse City High School!
We can’t wait to have the students at TC High School have the opportunity to shop for themselves or family members this holiday season. Due to many volunteer hours and generous donors, we have created a holiday “Santa’s workshop” for these students to bring a bit of holiday cheer into their lives! Feel free to sign up to help 🙂 <a href=”https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44A9AA2DAAF85-staffing” target=”_blank”><img src=”https://images.signupgenius.com/images/sign-up-now1.gif” width=”150″ height=”90″ border=”0″ alt=”Sign Up!”></a>
Thank you for providing 100 Thanksgiving baskets to be shared with the Northwest Food Coalition members . Step Up Northern Michigan was grateful to receive 10 of these baskets to be shared with students at Traverse City High School! Happy Thanksgiving!
