(Detroit, MI – June 30, 2017) … Gleaners Community Food Bank
(Gleaners) has received a $69,000 grant from General Motors that will
help the nonprofit expand their School Food Mobile Pantry Program. The
funds will be used to cover staffing and food costs associated with
providing distributions year-round to eight schools in some of Detroit’s
poorest neighborhoods including Cody Rouge and Brightmoor.
Gleaners’
School Food Mobile Pantry Program brings emergency food directly to
schools for distribution to low-income students and their families.
Each monthly distribution provides 100 families with approximately 30
pounds of nutritious food including approximately 17 pounds of fresh
produce and 13 pounds of other healthy pantry staples.
The program allows partners to target areas of need where access to healthy food is scarce. The program also delivers nutrition education in the form of cooking demonstrations and literature about healthy ways to prepare food.
Currently serving 79 schools, the School Food Mobile Pantry Program will expand to serve 800 more families and 1,600 children at the following schools:
Detroit Public Schools
- Carver STEM Academy, 18701 Paul
- Dixon Educational Learning Academy, 8401 Trinity
- Dossin Elementary/Middle School, 16650 Glendale
- Ludington Magnet Middle School, 19501 Berg Road
- Noble Elementary/Middle School, 8646 Fullerton Street
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, 15531 Linwood
Charter Schools
- Bethune Elementary/Middle School, 8145 Puritan
- Detroit Premier Academy, 7781 Asbury Park
Children facing food insecurity have difficulty learning to read, suffer poorer health leading to absenteeism, and drop out at higher rates. In southeast Michigan, nearly 300,000 children receive free or reduced‐fee meals at school. Among the factors affecting a student’s performance on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) is eligibility for subsidized meals. Students not qualifying for free or reduced-priced meals had a 63 percent passage rate on the standardized exam compared to 31 percent of those enrolled in a meal program. Mitigating the negative effects of hunger and food insecurity may help improve children’s academic performance, according to research.
About Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
Headquartered
in Detroit, Gleaners operates five distribution centers in Wayne,
Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties and provides food to 499
partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies
throughout southeastern Michigan. In 2017, Gleaners distributed more
than 42 million pounds of food to neighbors in need. On average,
Gleaners distributes the equivalent of 96,178 meals each day and
provides nourishing food and nutrition education to 171,000 children a
year. Every dollar donated provides three meals and 97 cents of every
donated dollar goes to food and food programs. For more information,
visit www.gcfb.org.