HOUGHTON — Let’s Eat Community Meals Inc. has served the Copper Country with hot, healthy meals for the past seven years.

Chassell residents Bill Binroth and Nancy Sauvola-Binroth launched the group in 2015, offering free meals to those in need from the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chassell.

Over the years, the non-profit has grown, and now proudly serves four meals per month from locations in Chassell, Hancock, Baraga, and South Range. Each of these meals is served from a different church or community venue, such as St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Baraga, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hancock, and the South Range Eagles Club.

On Monday afternoon, Let’s Eat Co-Director Bill Binroth sat down with the Gazette to discuss the organization’s work and the new direction that it is taking in 2022. He first described the factors that motivated him and his wife to begin Let’s Eat in 2015.

“At the time, I was working with Habitat for Humanity, so I could see that there was a certain amount of poverty in the area,” he recalled. “And you could see that a lot of adults were single and seemed like they were looking for more ways of being involved. I definitely got the impression that getting people together was a need.”

With these factors in mind, Binroth and other volunteers began serving meals with the intention of providing healthy food and bringing people together.

“What we did was provide one meal a month, on the third Sunday of the month. We put together a team and a manager to run the event. We split up the various tasks between volunteers like groceries, cooking, and dishing up the meals,” Binroth explained.

After seven years, Let’s Eat has this process down to a science. To date, they have served a grand total of 19,773 meals to community members in Chassell, Hancock, Baraga, and South Range.

Let’s Eat also makes a point of serving healthy food.

“We wanted to introduce meals that were healthier. You know, an abundance of veggies, and low-fat meats. We never serve red meats or processed meats. We go for things like ground turkey, which is 93% fat free. And then at least two veggies and one or two fruits,” Binroth said.

Let’s Eat is a 501(c)3 non-profit staffed entirely by volunteers and funded by donations. During its early years, a grant from the Portage Health Foundation helped the organization along.

Now, Let’s Eat relies on donations and volunteer labor from community members and groups, and sponsorships from local businesses. According to Binroth, a $200 sponsorship can provide 100 meals. He expressed gratitude to the many community businesses, organizations, and volunteers that help make the group’s work possible.

When COVID-19 struck the area, Let’s Eat had to make some adjustments to its operation. But despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the organization has thrived.

They reduced the number of volunteers working at each event, usually operating with only four to five people. They also invested in take-out containers and began serving meals to-go rather than hosting a sit-down event.

For Binroth and the group’s other organizers, the work is motivated by deep ties to the Copper Country, and love for the area’s unique community.

“I went to school here and my wife is from Chassell. So, she grew up here and we have ties to the area,” he said. “I like giving back to the community. I find that people are appreciative. People are nice to each other here.”

While Let’s Eat has experienced great success in its current form, its organizers have decided to take a new direction in 2022. The monthly meal program will continue, but going forward it will be carried out by a variety of churches and community organizations around the Copper Country.

“I have made a strategic plan to transition this function to a bunch of local organizations,” Binroth explained. “So, I have lined up essentially 10 to 12 organizations in Houghton County, and 10 to 12 in Baraga County that are willing to take on one meal per month from 2022 onward.”

Let’s Eat will continue to put on one event in Houghton County and one in Baraga County each year, but the remainder of the upcoming events will be run by different organizations.

These organizations include Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, and Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity in Houghton County. In Baraga County, organizations include Pettibone Traverse Lift, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and the Baraga County Catholic Community.

Let’s eat will continue to play a role in the events in 2022 to make sure that each community group has the tools that it needs to make the program a success.

“I think of it as shifting gears. We’re still interested in this happening, but we’re going to be less directly involved. The purpose of the event is not going away,” Binroth said.

Binroth has worked with each of these organizations over the past seven years, and he is confident that the meal program is in capable hands going forward. He hopes that each community organization will run with the event and make it their own.

For more information, contact Bill Binroth at bbinroth@gmail.com or 906-370-9965.