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Food Initiative

 Improving food access and education in the Copper Country.

Save the date!

Building Blocks: Infant Feeding Fundamentals

Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Finnish American Heritage Center.

  • Parents, grandparents, daycare providers and other infant caretakers are invited.
  • Learn about feeding posture, hunger cues, motor skill development and more.
  • Infants aged six to 12 months are welcome for this interactive event.

Registration opens October 1 and closes November 6 at coppershores.org.

  • Building Blocks 2025 - 1
    Presenter Arianna Francois, RDN, and daughter.

To receive a notification for open registration, sign up for our free monthly email newsletter.

Sign up here

Food Initiative

Copper Shores is committed to improving access to locally grown and healthful foods within our community. Through a variety of efforts, we help provide affordable food, support the local agricultural economy and offer nutrition education.

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Farm to School Pilot Program

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Nutrition Education Events

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Mobile Food Pantries

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Specific Grant Opportunities

Farm to School Pilot Program

We’re testing curriculum and identifying the barriers that stop Farm to School from being implemented in local classrooms.

Classroom

Developing positive relationships with food in early education.

Cafeteria

Understanding what kids are actually eating at lunch time.

School Gardens

Helping schools develop plans and logistics for their gardens.

Nutrition Education Events

Community Health Educator, Meghan Jaszczak, R.D. works with fellow health professionals in our community to provide a variety of free educational health and nutrition opportunities through the year.

Meghan at the Market

Stop by the farmers market for Q&A with a registered dietitian.

Building Blocks: Infant Feeding Fundamentals

Gain helpful tips, tricks and tools for feeding your infant.

Building Habits and Setting Goals

Hear from local health professionals and kick off the year with practical health tips and habits.

Heads UP - A Youth Wellbeing Event

Fun, food and fitness for middle schoolers, guided by local health professionals.

Mobile Food Pantries

We’re partnering with multiple organizations to sponsor the Feeding America West Michigan mobile food pantry, which brings free produce, dairy products and more to community members in need.

Feeding America West Michigan is a food bank that serves 40 of Michigan’s 83 counties, including the entire Upper Peninsula. This is the sixth year Copper Shores has sponsored the mobile food pantries.

Baraga County

Sponsored in partnership with Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

Houghton County

Sponsored in partnership with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

Ontonagon County

Sponsored in partnership with the Ontonagon Volunteer Fire Department and Ontonagon Area School District.

Specific Grant Opportunities

We offer a variety of grant opportunities to fellow community organizations throughout the year, including grants that are aimed at supporting food access in the Copper Country and ongoing community improvement projects.

Emergency Food Assistance Grant

Financially supporting local food pantries and food focussed organizations.

Small Grants Program

$2,500 grant opportunity to boost new and existing projects and programs.

What are we up to?

Check out the latest news about nutrition education and food access in the Copper Country.

September 8, 2025

Community roots grow deeper at fresh farmers market location

If you find yourself spending a sunny Saturday in downtown L’Anse, the recently relocated Baraga County Farmers Market should be on top of your list ...
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August 18, 2025

Meghan (and friends) at the Market

Join Copper Shores Community Health Educator, Meghan Jaszczak, RD, at a local farmers market near you. Jaszczak, alongside other local dietitians, is ...
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June 26, 2025

Mobile food pantry rolls in to Chassell for 2025

Feeding America West Michigan is bringing their mobile food pantry to Chassell three more times in 2025, with the next delivery on Wednesday, July 2. ...
Read More

Keep up with our work

Sign up for our Food Initiative newsletter

If you’re interested in keeping up with our efforts to make food and food education more accessible in the Copper Country - as well as community events, the farmers market schedule and more - consider signing up for our free quarterly Food Initiative email newsletter.

How to Support

If you believe in this mission and are able to support it, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation.

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