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MUNISING -- It's a project that gets more vegetables into the hands of those who need them.

The Hoop House in Munising has the capability to house growing vegetables ten months out of the year, making them available to residents almost year-round.  Spring planting is underway, and carrots, peas, lettuce, and radishes are just some of the vegetables that will be available in a few short months.

Remarkably, this Hoop House in Munising is a greenhouse powered almost exclusively by solar energy.

M.S.U. Associate Dean for Research and Community Engagement Jeff Dwyer says, "We have worked very hard from the start to make it all about health, so the folks providing the labor and actually prepping the beds and planting and harvesting, and even making the output available at the farmer's market, are actually clients from Pathways Mental Health Services."

In fact, most of the labor at the Hoop House is provided by Pathways. 

And the project increases consumption of fresh, local vegetables, which benefits everyone.  Vegetables that are grown locally tend to be better for you because vegetables that are grown elsewhere can lose up to 50 percent of their nutritional value by the time they get to the grocery store.

The Hoop House is selling the fruits, or in this case, vegetables of their labor to several organizations.  One of those customers is Munising Memorial Hospital.  When they're in season, they buy vegetables from the Hoop House because of their nutrients.

Colleen Macheta, Director of Support Services at M.M.H., says, "Just the nutritional value of the vegetables being so fresh, it helps with putting out a good quality meal, not just for our patients, but also for Meals on Wheels, good quality food with nutrition."

The first crop of the year is expected to be ready in late May or early June.  The vegetables will be sold at the farmer's market in Munising and eventually right from the Hoop House itself.