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BE HEALTHY BERRIEN

Working to build healthier places to live, work, learn, and play in Southwest Michigan.

The Napier Avenue Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan is a community-driven plan to transform Napier Avenue into a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly corridor.

The Napier Avenue corridor is an important east-west transportation route in the Benton Harbor – St. Joseph region, providing connectivity from the I-94 expressway into the core cities, providing access to major shopping and medical destinations, and serving a number of neighborhoods and local businesses. While it may function well for vehicular travel, it is not a “complete street” that comfortably and safety accommodates all users.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) initiated the Napier Avenue Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan in the Winter of 2017 to improve safety and pedestrian and bicycle networks along the corridor. SWMPC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Benton Harbor – St. Joseph Urbanized Area, and its purpose is to coordinate transportation planning and fund transportation projects for the region. The Napier Avenue Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan is an effort to enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities along the Napier Avenue corridor and is intended to meet the following goals:

• Address the gap in the pedestrian and bike network.
• Promote safety for all users (pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists).
• Create a Napier Avenue that better fulfills its role as a regional connector.

BE HEALTHY BERRIEN

Working to build healthier places to live, work, learn, and play in Southwest Michigan.

The Southwest Michigan Local Food Council is a collective of advocates that takes evidence-based actions toward the development of an equitable regional food system that values local farmers and entrepreneurs.

About Us

Learn more about how the SWMI Local Food Council began and our team HERE.

Upcoming Events

View Michigan State University Extension’s upcoming events HERE.

Council News

The Southwest Michigan Local Food Council is currently developing a strategic plan and creating projects to get more Local Food to Local People!

Find Local Food

Our region has a wide variety of great tastes to offer, so come explore all the good ways to eat well in Southwest Michigan and Eat Local Berrien!

Get Involved

We’d love to have you join us!  Contact Us to:

• Become a partner or a volunteer
• Introduce your organization
• Share information for our Calendar
• Start a conversation

Local Food Producer Spotlight

Here in Michigan’s great southwest we are lucky to be in a land abundant with farms, among these is Granor Farm, a certified organic produce and grain operation. What makes Granor stand out is not only their commitment to providing fresh, organic, local produce, but their robust outreach model that invites the community to come have memorable experiences on the farm.

Click HERE to meet Abra Berens of Granor Farms!

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BE HEALTHY BERRIEN

Working to build healthier places to live, work, learn, and play in Southwest Michigan.

Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail

The Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail partners are working to create a 34-mile trail connecting Niles, MI to Mishawaka, IN.  The completed trail would be used by commuters, students, families and tourists.  The trail would connect people to:

• 4 universities and several schools
• 4 downtowns (Niles, Roseland, South Bend and Mishawaka)
• 16 parks and 2 YMCAs
• 5 hospitals or major medical facilities
• Several historical and cultural attractions
• Businesses offering eating, lodging and shopping

The final 2.2-mile gap in the trail is being completed this summer in Niles Township!

Get the most up-to-date information by Liking The Friends of the IN MI River Valley Trail on Facebook.  www.Facebook.com/FriendsoftheIMRVTrail

Visit https://www.swmpc.org/inmitrail.asp for trail maps and other information

Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail Expansion to Berrien Springs

We are working with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission to extend the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail from the City of Niles to the Village of Berrien Springs. This nine-mile route would connect 1 additional university (Andrews University), 1 downtown, 1 park, and several historical attractions to the network.  See the current proposed route at https://www.swmpc.org/downloads/future_connection_to_the_indiana_michigan_river_valley_trail.pdf

Expansion Project Partners

City of Niles Historical Bike Tour

Information coming soon.

BE HEALTHY BERRIEN

Working to build healthier places to live, work, learn, and play in Southwest Michigan.

Be Healthy Corner Stores are smaller, neighborhood convenience stores where fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy food options are available. The goal of the Be Healthy Corner Store project is to connect local stores to local produce vendors and bring healthier, fresh food options to neighborhoods that often have limited fresh options.

Many convenience stores struggle to find distributors willing to deliver small quantities of fresh produce.  Be Healthy Berrien is working with Kalamazoo’s ValleyHUB and local growers to fill this need.  

This project is made possible by the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids and United Way of Southwest Michigan.

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Locations

Visit, shop, and support these local stores:

Covert Citgo
131884 M140 Hwy, Covert, MI 49043

Transformations are in process at:

Napier Mini Mart
277 E Britain Ave, Benton Harbor, MI 49022

Kartar Foods
1140 Pipestone Rd, Benton Harbor, MI 49022

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If you would like to transform your neighborhood convenience store into a Be Healthy Corner Store, contact us.  For media inquiries contact 269-982-4063.

Be Healthy Berrien is participating in a learning collaborative with YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, LiveWell Colorado, and Food Trust Philadelphia in a peer-to-peer exchange to explore new ways to develop networks and support local healthy corner stores.