DETROIT— Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan’s (Gleaners) received a $94,468 donation from DTE Energy’s matching gift program for its expanded emergency response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant number of individual donations from DTE Energy employees, contractors, retirees and board members were matched by the DTE Foundation to achieve the total donation amount.
“Gleaners is encouraged by the generosity of DTE Energy employees who are stepping up for their neighbors in need,” said Gerry Brisson, president and CEO of Gleaners. “We also are thankful for DTE Foundation’s match that encouraged so many people to give back. Not only does this support provide nourishing food to households deeply affected by the pandemic, it also helps our entire community. When we come together to fight hunger—everyone wins.”
The recent gift from DTE Foundation will support Gleaners’ ongoing emergency response efforts that provide nutritious food to 12,000-15,000 additional households per week. By launching 70 twice-monthly food distribution sites throughout southeast Michigan, Gleaners provides families with consistent access to healthy groceries. Through more than 120 partnerships with community organizations, Gleaners helps deliver emergency food to vulnerable populations, including seniors, veterans and home-bound healthcare patients.
Since March, Gleaners has increased food distribution by 45-50%, delivering a total of 6.4-7 million pounds of food every month. In addition to the emergency response efforts, Gleaners continues to serve a network of agency partners, including school districts. Through ongoing and expanded food distributions, Gleaners is reaching more than 150,000 households every month during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Feeding America, food insecurity in Gleaners’ service area is projected to increase to an average of 18% for 2020, up from 13% pre-COVID. Gleaners is committed to remaining a reliable source of food in the region and will proceed with ongoing emergency response efforts to meet this increase in need.
In addition to matching donations, DTE Energy Foundation launched “Caring in the Crisis,” an awareness effort aiming to make sure Detroit-area residents who need help know how to get it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation donated 2 million respiratory masks to first responders and medical professionals, supported basic needs for 100,000 families and helped 400 small businesses with grants.
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 more than 500 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and other agencies throughout southeast Michigan. Each year, Gleaners distributes more than 45 million pounds of food to neighbors in need. This results in an average of 100,000 meals distributed each day to families in need across our region. Gleaners also provides nourishing food and nutrition education to more than 200,000 children a year. Every dollar donated provides three meals and 92 cents of every donated dollar goes to food and food programs.
About DTE Energy Foundation: The DTE Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE), continuing the legacy of community support and involvement of its electric and natural gas utilities, which serve 2.2 million electric customers in Southeast Michigan and 1.3 million natural gas customers in Michigan. In 2018, the DTE Energy Foundation provided $18 million in grant support to non-profits throughout the company’s service territories. As one of Michigan’s leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in communities across Michigan in a variety of ways, including philanthropy, volunteerism and economic progress. Visit DTEFoundation.com to learn more.
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