The end of the school year often marks the end of a guaranteed meal for almost half of Detroit’s children. In Southeast Michigan, more than 300,000 free or reduced fee breakfasts and lunches are served daily during the school year.
The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Professional Nurse Council at the Detroit Medical Center
(DMC)
is leading a community effort to provide area children with a
consistent daily meal over summer recess. The 9th Annual Cereal Drive
kicks off on Friday, June 1, and runs through June 8, 2018. The cereal
collected will be donated to Gleaners Community Food Bank of
Southeastern Michigan and distributed to nearly 500 food pantries
throughout Southeastern Michigan.
“At the Children’s Hospital of Michigan we see firsthand the impact food insecurity has on children’s health. As one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, we do not just treat sick or injured children, we work to keep the children in our community healthy,” said Luanne Thomas Ewald, CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Ms. Thomas Ewald added, “Our nurses founded this drive and our entire team embraces this community initiative. We are proud of the important connection it makes between nutrition and healthy kids.”
The Cereal Drive began in June, 2010, and that year the hospital collected 160,757 servings of cereal. Last year, as community awareness increased, we collected more than 1.5 million servings of cereal and were able to successfully stock the shelves of over 500 food pantries within Southeastern Michigan.
Donations of cereal will be collected from June 1 through June 8, 2018. Please visit Children’s Hospital of Michigan for more information on how to get involved. To provide a monetary donation for perishable breakfast items, please visit Gleaners Virtual Cereal Drive.
“Kids need healthy, wholesome food not just some of the time but all of the time, and especially in the summer when 300,000 local children are at risk of hunger,” said Gerald Brisson, Gleaners president and CEO. “Gleanersis making investments in the lives of kids so they get the food they need to reach their full potential, and it takes the community to feed the community. That is why we are so grateful for the support of Children’s Hospital of Michigan and excited to work with them again on their annual Cereal Drive, which helps so many families in southeast Michigan. Together we are working to ensure our kids grow up healthy, happy, and hopeful.”