Athena McKay, executive director of Flint Innovative Solutions, was excited to unveil the latest version of the Flint Eats App to the community on August 29. But she also had to take a second to be a proud mom.
McKay’s son, Jonathan McKay, worked on the changes to the app, which was originally launched in 2017 in partnership with Michigan State University, to relaunch it as a community resource.
“Jonathan is homegrown, he’s a Flintstone,” McKay said. “We know what we need in our community, and we’re excited that this is available for everyone now. We want everyone to use it, spread it to their friends and family, and be able to live a healthier life.”
The app relaunch was shared with the community during an event at the North Flint Food Market. That location was strategic, because the community owned co-op is one of the many unique resources that exist in Flint and McKay hopes the app will help connect more people to.
“We picked this location because it’s a food co-op and we strive to support the community, so we really want to pour into this beautiful store,” she said. “I want to encourage people to support our own so we have this place on the northside of Flint for years to come.”
The app, which is available in the App Store for Apple users and through Google Play for Android users, has a wealth of information for residents. It includes an interactive map that shows people where they can find food from grocery stores, farmers’ markets, urban farms, convenience stores, food pantries, and other sources. It also has informational articles on topics like how to sign up for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, what Double Up Food Bucks are (a program where people with Bridge Cards are eligible to double their spending on fresh fruits and vegetables) and what local establishments participate, healthy recipes, and more. The app also lets people register for profiles and then ask questions and share other resources.
McKay hopes the relaunched app makes it easier for people to find things they need close to home.
“In one way, it’s a little heartbreaking because we see so many people who could be living better if they knew how to eat and they knew how to shop and take care of the little bit of resources they have,” McKay said. “We do as much programming as possible to mitigate the effects of lead, but also preventable diseases like hypertension and things of that nature, but we’re super excited about this resource and really hope people use it because you can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. This puts everything in one place for them.”
The launch event included games, resource tables, a cooking competition that included local chefs as judges and participants, giveaways, and more. Jonathan McKay also spoke during the event, sharing his experience as a cancer survivor who also lived through the Flint water crisis. He noted that “food is medicine” for certain health issues, and he hopes the app is a tool for others who have limited budgets or resources to find healthy things they need.
“It (the app) shows you how to really maximize your dollars,” he said during the presentation.
The app is a project of Flint Innovative Solutions, a nonprofit organization focused on community wellness and boosting access for residents to specific resources. Prior to relaunching it, McKay said the organization did listening sessions with the community and also received input from local organizations like the Flint and Genesee Food Policy Council. They’re also still interested in feedback on what is currently available in the app or other resources to add. People can contact them through the Flint Innovative Solutions website or on Facebook or Instagram. People who have downloaded the app can also share information through the app itself.
The overall goal of the app is to simply create more awareness of the healthy food sources available in the community as well as resources that people are eligible for to support a healthier lifestyle.
“We asked the community what they needed and wanted to hear exactly what’s going on and the challenges folks have,” McKay said. “A lot of the information is nothing new, but if you don’t know about the resources you can’t take advantage of them. It came from us thinking about how we can educate and inform. People just need to know what to do and how to do it. You can be successful here in Flint, we are a very well-resourced community but people don’t know how to access those resources.”
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