Kelly Miller, Greater Lansing Food Bank
The holiday season is full of joy, excitement, and traditions, but for many families in our region, it’s also a time when the need for food assistance quietly grows. Food insecurity touches far more neighbors than most of us realize, and ensuring families have enough to eat is one of the most immediate ways we can support our community.
Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB) has been at the center of that mission for decades, serving families across seven mid-Michigan counties with compassion, efficiency, and a deep understanding of what local needs really look like. We had the opportunity to talk with Kelly Miller, Chief Development Officer, a mom, nonprofit leader, and longtime advocate. Kelly shares about her work, what she’s learned, and how families can support their neighbors this season.
She shared honest insights, surprising behind-the-scenes moments, and wisdom that applies to all of us, including a powerful reminder that “work-life balance is a myth” and that doing what we can, when we can, is enough.
And this is just the beginning, stay tuned, because GLAMoms will be sharing more ways to support local families and more food-related resources as we move into the new year.
What inspired you to work in food insecurity / nonprofit work?
I grew up volunteering. A career in nonprofit work never really occurred to me though until I was approached in my late-twenties to work in fundraising. It was a fit from day one.
I consider myself lucky that I can go to work and make a difference for my community every day. Fundraising in particular, while can be intimidating, is such a meaningful way to give anyone an opportunity to be a part of a cause and make a difference. I was able to be a stay at home mom while my daughter was young. When it was time to go back to (paid) work – I was really picky in what I was looking for and a handful of causes that were meaningful to me.
Food was one of those because without enough to eat, not much else matters. In 2017, the right position at the right time was available at Greater Lansing Food Bank and it’s been a part of my life and my family for more than eight years now.
What is something about working at a food bank that surprised you when you first started?
That so many people think (thought?) I work at a food pantry or out of a church basement.
What keeps you motivated during busy or emotionally heavy seasons?
This community. I’ve been at the food bank through two government shutdowns and a pandemic. The first thing this community does is say “I want to help.” There have been a few times where feeding everyone seems insurmountable but then our community comes together with food, funds and so much moral support that we get through those tough times together.
Many people don’t know how food banks actually operate, what’s a “wow” fact most people would be surprised to learn?
What typically comes to mind when people think of a food bank is really a food pantry. A food bank is a rather large organization that collects and safely stores millions of pounds of food every year. GLFB sources and distributes 12 to 13 million pounds of food each year to our neighbors through our own direct service programs alongside a vast network of food pantries and other community partners who provide community or neighborhood based food programs.
When people come to GLFB for the first time there is always an audible ‘wow’ when seeing that our warehouse essentially looks like our own mini-Costco.
Michigan has an extensive network of food banks, can you share where GLFB fits in that statewide system?
There are seven regional food banks covering all areas of Michigan and GLFB serves the mid-Michigan area and together we make up the Food Bank Council of Michigan. GLFB is also a partner food bank of Feeding America, who brings together 200 food banks across the country.
How does food insecurity in mid-Michigan differ from or mirror what’s happening across the state?
Food insecurity occurs when a person doesn’t have access to sufficient food to thrive and/or doesn’t know where their next meal is going to come from. In many ways, mid-Michigan reflects what is seen in all areas of the state, many people don’t realize just how fragile their food security is and are one missed paycheck or unexpected medical bill away from needing food resources.
Many of the neighbors we serve we’ll see several times and many will only need our services once.
Rural communities in Michigan and across the country have higher rates of food insecurity than urban communities. Clare county has the second highest rate of food insecurity in Michigan. This is reflective of a lack of access to grocery stores, food access points and more.
Demand will typically increase during colder seasons as costs increase to heat homes.
Our fleet of trucks travels more than 175,000 miles every year – snow, ice and sleet makes it tough for our drivers.
Mobile food distributions are especially challenging this time of year as they take place outside – our drivers and volunteers have to shovel out parking lots and put down salt before unloading trucks full of food so that they can safely serve families. Hand and toe warmers are a must for our drivers to stock in the trucks for themselves and our volunteers for the next several months.
How many families/individuals does GLFB typically serve in a month or year?
GLFB serves more than just the greater Lansing area. We serve seven counties here in mid-Michigan: Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Isabella and Shiawassee. Throughout 2025, we have been serving on average 21,000 families each month. Between October and November, however, that number jumped more than 25 percent overnight.
How many food pantries or partner agencies do you support across the region?
GLFB has a network of 300 partners that includes food pantries, shelters, schools, libraries and more.
Is there a most-needed item that consistently surprises people?
Spices or cooking oils are always needed and rarely donated.
For families who need help this season, what’s the easiest, least-intimidating way for them to reach out?
All of our pantry partners are welcoming spaces that try their best to make families feel comfortable and are the best places to visit if there are special dietary needs or allergies.
Many families prefer to attend a mobile food pantry distribution which can feel a bit more anonymous than visiting your neighborhood pantry.
Food drives are the best ways to get kids of all ages involved. Kids can come up with a theme (i.e. peanut butter and jelly, birthday cake kits, favorite foods), collect the items and then bring all of their food to GLFB to donate.
For tweens and teens, volunteering with GLFB in our warehouse or a mobile food pantry is a great way to give back.
How do you talk to your own kids about food insecurity in a compassionate, empowering way?
This one is tough for me to give a personal example because my daughter has grown up with me working at the food bank so she’s always had this deeper understanding of food insecurity.
But what I always tell people is that kids are so intuitive. They notice when a friend isn’t eating at lunch or at snack time. If you have enough food at home, let your child know it’s okay to share their lunch or snack with the friend that often ‘forgets’ theirs.
Would you tell us about the Day of Giving planned for later this week?
Day of Giving has been occurring in our community for over 17 years, the first Friday of December. WLNS shines a light on food insecurity for the week, culminating in Friday’s day-long food and fund drive at the station. Day of Giving is sponsored by Auto-Owners Insurance and this year GLFB is thrilled to offer a match for monetary donations.
GLFB staff and volunteers will be out front in the WLNS drive from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. collecting food and accepting donations on December 5th.
More information and how to help, visit the GLFB website here: greaterlansingfoodbank.org/give/day-of-givinghttps://greaterlansingfoodbank.org/give/day-of-giving
Thank you Kelly for sharing your insight and the heart behind the work Greater Lansing Food Bank does every day. We hope you have an wonderful holiday season.
If your family is looking to give back this season, there are so many meaningful ways to help: donate, volunteer, or even start a kid-friendly food drive at home. And if your own family needs support right now, GLFB’s partner pantries and mobile distributions are welcoming places to begin.
More food resources and ways to get involved are coming soon from GLAMoms. 🙂
Visit the Greater Lansing Food Bank website for additional information including ways to give, how to help and if you are in need of assistance, where to begin: greaterlansingfoodbank.org
GLFB is located at 5600 Food Court, Bath
And the mailing address is Greater Lansing Food Bank, PO Box 16224, Lansing
Meet a Mom Sponsor information
Today’s Meet a Mom featuring Donna Witt was brought to you by Boji Group. Boji Group specializes in Private-Public Partnerships, has offices in both Lansing and Birmingham and is headquartered in downtown Lansing.
Thank you Boji Group for joining us in presenting area moms from the Greater Lansing area.
Did you enjoy getting to know more about the Greater Lansing Food Bank and Kelly Miller?
We’re grateful to Boji Group for partnering with Greater Lansing Area Moms to bring you our popular Meet a Mom feature and we’ve been honored to introduce so many amazing local moms and businesses through this collaboration!
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