Building Healthy Communities
“Motivated by success and a strong sense of community belonging, Fresh Baby sought a philanthropy partner to guide them in making a meaningful difference in their home community. Recognizing the Community Foundation’s extensive experience and clear vision for fostering community improvement, Fresh Baby chose the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation as that partner.
“The Building Healthy Communities Fund was established in 2024. The primary goal for this donor-advised fund is to financially support projects that contribute to building a healthier and more inclusive place to work and play…providing community access to everything from nutritious food to life-changing art experiences. Through this philanthropic partnership, Fresh Baby is leaving a legacy of healthy living in Northern Michigan.”
Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Springs Area Community Foundation, Annual Report 2024
The Fresh Baby Building Healthy Communities Fund at the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Organizations we supported
Alanson Church of the Nazarene
Call to Action: Replace Food Pantry Vehicle
The Alanson Church of the Nazarene Food Pantry provides assistance to thousands of persons in need of food, clothing, or other essential needs, making no stipulations on how often a family can visit the food pantry or who can receive assistance. An updated cargo van is critical to the Food Pantry’s ability to procure, rescue, and distribute food items to food pantry clients.
Bergmann Center, Inc.
Call to Action: Upgrade kitchen equipment to build essential cooking skills
Bergmann Center has been serving individuals with developmental, physical, and/or mental disabilities for over 60 years. The Center’s weekly cooking classes teach clients how to prepare well-balanced meals. A grant for this project allows Bergmann Center to purchase new kitchen equipment, utensils, cookware and bakeware and replace their old hand-me-down supplies.
Big Water Creative Arts
Call to Action: Introduce music classes for cognitively impaired students in Petoskey
Big Water Creative Arts (BWCA) provides free music education to hundreds of youth across three counties and four school districts through education, instruction, and community-building performances. The Music Exploration program for cognitively impaired high school and young adult populations introduces students to American folk and popular songs through the activities of singing, playing percussion, and ear-training exercises.
Call to Action: Grow a rock’n’roll education program in Alanson, Pellston, and Petoskey
BWCA’s Rock Jam program sparks students’ creativity by bringing them together to form rock’n’roll ensembles, teaching them the fundamentals of their instruments, building their confidence and learning how to work together as a team. Grant support for this program covers instructor fees and logistical duties to help local students learn valuable musical and life skills.
Boyne Valley Greenhouse
General donation
Boyne Valley Community Greenhouse is a nonprofit creating a place where the community can come together to provide healthy lifestyle choices and options for hungry families. In 2024, Boyne Valley Greenhouse distributed 44,000 pounds of produce to those in need.
Brave Hearts Estate
Call to Action: Update carpeting to create welcoming space for combat veterans
Brave Hearts Estate provides recreational opportunities and camaraderie to wounded combat veterans and their families. Grants fund the carpeting replacement on the lower level — housing three bedrooms, a family room with a billiards area, a kitchen and a bath — ensuring a welcoming and comfortable environment for all who utilize the estate’s facilities.
Brother Dan's Food Pantry
Call to Action: Provide important personal items for people in need
Brother Dan’s Food Pantry helps feed the hungry in our community with compassion and warmth, providing essentials to dozens of families each week. A grant to Brother Dan’s allows them to provide personal items to their clients, including hats and mittens during the winter months.
Child Abuse Prevention and Education Council
Call to Action: Strengthen youth service provider skills through essential education
The Child Abuse Prevention and Education Council (CAPE) is dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect by raising public awareness and providing education. The annual CAPE Council conference, held every spring, is a vital event that offers professional development for educators, healthcare professionals, social workers, law enforcement and those working with children and families.
County of Emmet
Call to Action: Improve disc golf tee pads at Camp Petosega
In 2022 Emmet County’s Camp Petosega opened a brand new 18-hole disc golf course, open for all to play on, free of charge. Many top-notch disc golf courses have concrete or turf tee pads for players to throw from, and grant funding supports the installation of 19 more turf tee pad boxes.
Good Neighbors Food Pantry
Annual event: Assembling Thanksgiving meal boxes for families in need
Good Neighbors Food Pantry of Boyne City brings the community together to serve people experiencing food insecurity by providing opportunities for neighbors to help neighbors. Since 2019, Fresh Baby has had the honor of donating time and products to provide hundreds of Thanksgiving meals to local families in need.
Hospice of Michigan, Inc.
Call to Action: Offer Gestures of Grace to families experiencing hospice
The Gestures of Grace Fund, part of Hospice of Michigan’s Open Access program, aims to alleviate the physical and emotional burdens faced by uninsured or under-insured patients and their families during hospice care. Community Foundation funding expands Hospice of Michigan’s capacity to deliver these vital resources, ensuring that families can focus on care and comfort rather than financial strain.
Little Traverse Civic Theatre
Call to Action: Help LTCT go on-the-road with an enclosed trailer
Little Traverse Civic Theatre (LTCT) is a cornerstone community arts organization. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the organization aims bring shows and classes on the road from its home venue to public spaces, alternative venues, and schools. Grant funding supports the purchase of an enclosed trailer to transport set pieces, costumes and props to performance venues.
Northmen Den Youth Pantries
Call to Action: Provide students access to skills-building out-of-school programs
Northmen Den Youth Pantries (NDYP) nourishes our neediest students through a comprehensive approach that values their dignity and individuality. NDYP aims to establish after-school and out-of-school programming that utilizes the Discover You curriculum to mentor middle and high school students in a safe and enriching environment for students to develop essential life skills and character strengths.
PoWeR! Book Bags
Call to Action: Supply materials to encourage early literacy in low-income households
PoWeR! Book Bags (PBB) provides literacy tools for every child in northern lower Michigan, supplying books and resources to underprivileged children. With the Health Department’s Little Learners program, PBB aims to reach more than 700 children through the distribution of 3,600 books and 640 literacy bags containing materials to foster language development through interactive play, writing activities and reading.
The Salvation Army
Call to Action: Resume congregate meals in new community space
Having recently relocated to a new space equipped with a commercial kitchen, The Salvation Army hosts congregate meals on Wednesday and Friday afternoons in the Community Center’s Community Room for anyone in need. Grant funding goes toward the cost of food and supplies needed to serve congregate meals.
Organizations we supported
Community Foundation Emergency Response Fund
General donation
When a severe ice storm swept through Emmet County causing widespread damage and leaving thousands without power, the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation launched an Emergency Response Fund to support local recovery efforts. The fund provided grant support to eligible nonprofit organizations and government entities that delivered emergency aid to individuals and families across Emmet County, and assisted nonprofit organizations whose operations were directly affected by the storm.
Public Schools of Petoskey
Call to Action: Build confidence, leadership, and resilience in young women
Petoskey High School seeks support to launch Ruling Our Experiences (ROX), a research-based program designed to empower female students by building confidence, leadership skills, and resilience. ROX addresses critical topics such as communication, relationships, body image, social media, stress, self-defense, and future planning—key areas where young women often face challenges. Grant funding will support ROX facilitator training, enabling a 20-week program for a cohort of 12 girls.
Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry
Call to Action: Establish contract with local farmer for steady supply of fresh produce
The Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry is committed to providing a full range of nutritious food options, including shelf-stable and fresh foods. Amid reduced produce donations and USDA funding pauses for farms and food banks, the Pantry seeks grant funding to establish a paid contract with a local farm to secure a consistent supply of diverse, high-quality produce tailored for their clients and strengthen food security in our community.
Blackbird Child Care Center
Call to Action: Connect kids with nature through gardening and outdoor exploration
Blackbird Child Care Center, a service provided by the Harbor Springs School District, provides high-quality, safe learning environments for infants through 12-year-olds. With grant support, the center will create a garden and natural play space, offering children hands-on experiences in growing food, exploring nature, and learning about healthy eating.
Friendship Centers of Emmet County
Call to Action: Support senior safety with Personal Emergency Response Systems
The Friendship Centers of Emmet County (FCEC) works to ensure that all senior citizens have the opportunities, information, and services necessary to live healthy, safe, and active lives in dignity. To help improve the safety and independence of seniors, FCEC aims to provide Personal Emergency Response pendants to seniors at risk of falling, allowing them to live independently with greater peace of mind.
WAI-AIM, Inc.
Call to Action: Educate youth on the real-life consequences of substance abuse
WAI-IAM (Who Am I… I Am Me!), Inc. is a Lansing-based organization dedicated to substance abuse prevention, awareness, and treatment support. Their STR8TALK program is a powerful presentation designed to educate middle and high school students on the real-life consequences of substance abuse. Using multi-media storytelling, education, and open discussions, STR8TALK helps students recognize addiction warning signs, break the stigma surrounding substance use, and build confidence in making positive life decisions.
Boyne Falls Public School
Donation to the Hoop House Project
Boyne Falls Public School aims for all students to become confident, lifelong learners, who are academically prepared, socially skilled, responsible citizens. The hoop house at Boyne Falls Public School provides students valuable experiences and lessons about gardening, agriculture, food, and nutrition.
