W.K. Kellogg Foundation fights poverty in Michigan

Battle Creek’s W.K. Kellogg Foundation will spend $1 million across the state to fight poverty.

A two-year grant was awarded to the Michigan Community Action Agency Association, a group of 30 community action agencies that provide programs and services to low income families and individuals in all 83 Michigan counties. The funds are intended to be used to coordinate public, private and non-profit efforts into a collaborative method to move families out of poverty.

Needs will be assessed on a local and regional basis to find those living in poverty as part of a program through Voices for Action, says James Crisp, association executive director. Local initiatives are evaluated by a team of poverty experts for effectiveness. Those shown to reduce poverty will be supported by the Kellogg Foundation grant and other sources of funding.

“We need a new war on poverty,” says Ismael Ahmed, director of Michigan Department of Human Services. Ahmed’s department provides cash, food, medical and emergency assistance to almost 2.5 million people. “The first war on poverty in the 1960s decreased poverty by one-third. In our time, growing poverty is no longer just a phenomenon in cities; it is increasing everywhere. The Voices for Action network is dedicated to reversing this trend and the Kellogg Foundation grant will help.”

Established in 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: James E. Crisp, Michigan Community Action Agency Association