Building Healthy Communities provides grants to 112 schools in Michigan

POTTERVILLE, Mich. (WILX) - The Building Healthy Communities program through the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan helps provide schools with the resources they need to improve students’ physical and mental health.

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This year, the program has given 112 schools funding, including one in Mid-Michigan.

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The Potterville School District recently received $10,000 worth of Building Healthy Communities programming for the elementary, middle and high schools to help benefit the more than 1,000 students they have.

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This will help the schools extend a mentoring program they have at the high school and add it to the middle school.

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The program is called Hope Squad. It allows students to help their peers when they are going through a tough time or when they see someone else struggling.

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If a student is feeling sad, they can turn to members of the Hope Squad to talk with instead of a teacher. The school feels this has helped students open up more than they would with a staff member.

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Odin McCowen is a freshman at Potterville High School and a member of the Hope Squad. He feels bringing this program over to the middle school will help benefit those students.

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“I feel like it will help them tremendously because I feel like there are a lot of kids who, especially since they’re nervous to talk to their parents, maybe they’ll feel like they’ll get in trouble, which you won’t. You should always talk to your parents about stuff if you’re not feeling ok. But sometimes it’s just easier to talk to a friend,” said McCowen.

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This isn’t the only way the school will benefit from the program. They are also going to be expanding the food pantry that they have at the high school.

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The pantry serves middle schoolers and high schoolers to provide a discreet way for kids to get extra food to take home if they need it.

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The pantry currently offers non-perishable food items and toiletries, but school leaders say they wanted to add more.

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The program’s food pantry resource will bring a refrigerator to the pantry so it can offer things like milk and fruit. This also allows them to add bread to their list, as that is considered a perishable food item.

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Julie Steinacker is Potterville’s middle school social worker. She knows just how important it is for students to have healthy food during the day.

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“Being hungry is, I think, probably the worst thing. Kids might only have breakfast and lunch here and not have dinner at home, but they can come in here, and they know that they can grab a few things, take a bag, and take some stuff home. So they do have something to eat for dinner, and they’re not waiting until breakfast the next day,” said Steinacker.

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The pantry also offers students clothes for those who need them.

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Since 2017, the Building Healthy Communities program has invested over $54,000 in the Potterville Public School system.

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Originally published at https://www.wilx.com/2025/12/01/building-healthy-communities-provides-grants-112-schools-michigan/