Lake Michigan College Secures $525,000 in State Grants to Strengthen Mental Health and Basic Needs Support

BENTON HARBOR, MI — Lake Michigan College (LMC) has been awarded three grants totaling $525,000 to expand student support services and combat food insecurity across its Benton Harbor, South Haven, and Bertrand Innovation Center (BIC) campuses. The awards come from two grant programs administered by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) and one from the Ohio-Michigan (OH-MI) Basic Needs Initiative.

The funding package includes a $400,000 Barrier Removal – Growing Institutional Capacity grant, a $75,000 Hunger-Free Campus Activities grant, and a $50,000 OH-MI Pathways Together Initiative grant. Together, the awards will allow LMC to launch new mental health resources, establish a centralized Community Resource Center, install smart food pickup lockers, expand its campus food pantry and snack shack network, create a meal-kit program, and build a more comprehensive infrastructure for identifying and responding to student basic needs.

"When students are struggling to meet basic needs, finishing a degree becomes much harder," said Dr. Ken Flowers, President, Lake Michigan College. "These grants allow us to build the kind of proactive, connected support systems that help students stay enrolled and succeed."

The awards reflect LMC’s sustained commitment to student success beyond the classroom. Utilization of the College’s Red Hawk Refuel Pantry and Red Hawk Snack Shacks has grown 34% year over year, underscoring the urgency of investing in systems that keep students stable, enrolled, and on track to complete their degrees.

“For many students, the biggest threat to graduation isn’t academics — it’s life circumstances,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, MiLEAP Director. “This funding helps colleges like Lake Michigan College put stronger systems in place so students can stay focused on their education and complete their degrees.”

MiLEAP Barrier Removal Grant: Mental Health, Resource Navigation, and Student Services ($400,000)

This two-year grant from MiLEAP will help LMC move from a reactive to a proactive model of student support, reaching students before a crisis derails their education. Key initiatives include:

• Digital mental health intervention tool: A new platform to connect students with mental health resources early, before challenges escalate.
• Community Resource Center: A centralized hub on the Benton Harbor campus where students can access essential services in one place, streamlining navigation and reducing barriers.
• Expanded food pantry capacity: Increased infrastructure to meet growing demand for the Red Hawk Refuel Pantry.

MiLEAP Hunger-Free Campus Grants: Expanding Food Access Across All Three Campuses ($75,000)

The $75,000 Hunger-Free Campus Activities grant from MiLEAP  will fund coordinated, multi-campus investments to expand equitable, dignified, and sustainable food access for students. Key initiatives include:

• Smart pickup lockers: Smart food pick-up lockers on the Benton Harbor campus will allow students to pick up food securely outside of business hours, expanding access for evening and nontraditional students.
• South Haven meal-kit pickup station: A new refrigerated pickup model will replace inefficient food transport from the main campus, reducing waste and better serving students at that location.
• BIC Snack Shack: An inaugural Red Hawk Snack Shack at the Bertrand Innovation Center will bring on-site food access to the satellite campus for the first time.
• Branded meal kits: Developed in partnership with the Southwest Michigan Nutrition Exchange, Corewell Center for Wellness nutritionists, and LMC culinary students, the kits will provide balanced, easy-to-prepare meals and support take-home options during academic breaks.
• Snack shack upgrades: Microwaves and mobile carts will be added to five existing snack shack locations so students can heat ready-to-eat meals between classes.
• Student outreach and orientation: Targeted marketing during summer orientation and improved campus-wide signage will reduce stigma, increase awareness, and connect new students with food resources from day one.

OH-MI Pathways Together Initiative: Student Needs Assessment and Strategic Capacity Building ($50,000)

This grant from the MCCA Ohio-Michigan Pathways Together Initiative will support LMC in formalizing and expanding its approach to identifying and responding to student basic needs. Key activities include:

• Comprehensive student needs assessment: LMC will conduct a formal assessment of student basic needs, building on existing data from pantry utilization, emergency funding requests, advising notes, and retention data to develop a more complete picture of student need across the institution.
• Student success dashboard development: The College will strengthen integrated data infrastructure to systematically track basic needs service utilization, identify patterns of insecurity, and measure the impact of interventions on retention and completion outcomes.
• Community partnerships: The grant will support coordination with LMC’s extensive network of community partners including the Southwest Michigan Nutrition Exchange, Harris Family Farms, Feeding America West Michigan, Berrien County Health Department, Riverwood Center, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, and others, to deepen integrated, campus-connected support.
• Strategic alignment: Project outcomes will be integrated into LMC’s institutional strategy, directly supporting the College’s Strategic Plan objective to increase student utilization of food, mental health, and financial resources.

Grant activities are led by Leslie Navarro, Associate Dean of Student Success & Well-Being, and Sara Skinner, Dean of Student Success & Support Services. Hunger-Free Campus grant implementation is expected to be complete by September 30, 2026.

About Lake Michigan College
Lake Michigan College is a comprehensive community college serving Berrien County and surrounding communities from its main campus in Benton Harbor, Michigan. LMC offers associate degrees, certificates, and workforce training programs designed to help students reach their academic and career goals. For more information, visit lakemichigancollege.edu.