Hunger Free Summer

Keep kids in Southeast Michigan fueled for a Hunger Free Summer!

Your gift to support Gleaners’ summer food programs has twice the impact, thanks to Citizens and other philanthropic organizations!

When School Ends, Hunger Begins.

in 5 children face hunger

Kids should be enjoying summer break, not worrying about where their next meals are coming from. Yet across Southeast Michigan, 1 in 5 children faces hunger. When the school doors close for the summer, so does access to reliable nutrition for more than 317,000 students who depend on school-provided meals.

“Parents are absolutely doing the best they can. I have parents who are working 2 or 3 jobs to take care of these babies,” said Ms. Bienstock, an elementary school teacher in Hazel Park. “These are families who need a little bit of extra help, so if you can, give for children who are smart and so full of potential…so these kids are nourished and can keep growing.”

Unfortunately, far too many families in Southeast Michigan continue to struggle with hunger. Over the past year, Gleaners has continued to see elevated requests for support.

The good news is with community support, we can help stop hunger in its tracks! With you by our side, we can make sure kids get the healthy nutrition they need.

students that depend on school-provided meals

Kids Know Healthy Food is Important!

“When you eat healthy food, you can get big and strong,” said Alexandra, a fourth grader. “It powers your brain. My favorite vegetables are cucumbers, carrots, and celery.”

“What will make kids grow big and strong? I think grapes and green beans and cucumbers and strawberries. You need vegetables; that’s what my grandma would say,” said Kyle, a kindergartener.

“Healthy food helps everyone in some kind of way. When you eat fruits and vegetables, that helps you be healthy in general. And, for example, when you eat carrots, that really helps your eyesight - and kids need that!” explained Tamiya, a fifth grader.

Summer Hunger Ends Here.

Hunger doesn’t take a break for the summer—and neither does Gleaners. We know summer is only complete with enough to eat. Each year, the Hunger Free Summer matching gift campaign has helped provide millions of meals over the summer to tens of thousands of kids while they are out of school so kids can keep living each day ready to do great things!

Together, we can help take one worry off kids’ minds with the gift of nutritious, wholesome food. Your contribution to Gleaners today will have 2X the impact, thanks to a generous match by Citizens and other philanthropic organizations! Every $1 becomes $2 – enough for 6 healthy meals!

Your gift goes to work quickly to fund summer meal and education programs supporting local kids. Here’s how your generosity will be put to work in our community:

Summer Food Service Program

The Summer Food Service Program supports dozens of congregate meal sites, like summer camps and daycares, and mobile delivery sites in low-income neighborhoods to meet the needs of children 18 years or younger. Children are provided with prepared breakfasts and/or lunches that include lean protein, whole grain, fruit, vegetables, and fresh milk at supervised locations.

The Emergency Food Partner Network

Gleaners provides nutritious food to nearly 400 partners, including schools, soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and others in five counties across Southeast Michigan: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Monroe. These partners know their local communities well and directly serve our neighbors in need. Many of our partners also host members of Gleaners’ nutrition education team to provide healthy recipe tastings, nutrition education tips, nutritious recipe ideas, and access to virtual content to households.

Community Mobile Food Distributions

Gleaners operates dozens of Community Mobile sites five days a week. These sites offer balanced nutrition – including fresh milk, fruits, vegetables, lean protein and shelf-stable items – with no appointment necessary and built on a “no contact” drive-through model. This program also includes healthy recipe tastings, nutrition education tips, nutritious recipe ideas, and access to virtual content for families and individuals who attend the distributions from Gleaners’ nutrition education team.

Ways to Donate

Donate to the Hunger Free Summer matching gift campaign to double your impact!

Securely online by clicking the button below.
Call 855-315-FOOD (3663).
By mail to Gleaners Community Food Bank, 2131 Beaufait, Detroit, MI 48207. (Please include “Hunger Free Summer” on the memo line.)