Until summer 2025, limited funding meant not every child who took part in the Downtown Marquette Farmers Market's Power of Produce (POP) program could receive a token to spend on fresh produce. Demand for the program had outpaced available funds.

For many older adults in the Upper Peninsula, a ride to a medical appointment is not a given. Public transit is limited and family may live hours away. That discovery led LBFE to build Drive to Care, a door-through-door medical transportation service now available across Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, Marquette, and Ontonagon counties.

Each year, more than 500,000 children enter foster care and the court system through no fault of their own. For children navigating that process in the Upper Peninsula, CASA of Menominee/Marinette trains community volunteers to serve as a steady, trusted adult who speaks up for their interests in court.

The 2024 closure of Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital, the only emergency department within an hour's drive, resulted in increased pressure on emergency services across the western U.P. and widened the workforce gap. Gogebic Community College's (GCC) Emergency Medical Services Program in Ironwood is working to help fill this gap.

Thanks to a Superior Health Foundation grant, Growing Forward Together and their partners brought the Survivor Moms' Companion™ to the U.P., training 14 local tutors across six counties and building a regional network that's here to stay.