Sheila Ford Hamp, Principal Owner and Chair of the Detroit Lions, will be the keynote speaker at Gleaners’ 31st annual Women’s Power Breakfast, to be held Tuesday, May 7, 2024, from 8am to 10am at Ford Field.
“We’re so excited to welcome Sheila Ford Hamp to this year’s Women’s Power Breakfast,” said Angela Halverson, Gleaners’ Director of Community Giving. “As the head of Detroit’s beloved hometown football team and one of Southeast Michigan’s most prominent leaders, Ms. Ford Hamp is the perfect choice to address our annual gathering of smart, community-minded, influential women and help advance the cause of solving childhood hunger.”
Sheila Ford Hamp is best known for her bold leadership with Detroit Lions, who recently made history by finishing the 2023 regular season with twelve wins and only five losses, tying a franchise record, and making it to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991.
She has been involved with the Lions since her mother, Matha Firestone Ford, became owner in 2014, and has been Principal Owner since 2020. Prior to her involvement with the Lions, Ford Hamp was a successful businesswoman who was among the first female graduates of Yale.
Announcing Ms. Ford Hamp as this year’s keynote speaker is a natural fit for Gleaners, which already enjoys a supportive relationship with the Detroit Lions. Last Thanksgiving season, several members of the Detroit Lions team – players, families, staff, alumni, and members of the Lions Foundation – worked several volunteer shifts at Gleaners’ warehouse, helping to assemble holiday meal boxes to be shared with the community. Additional events with Gleaners, the Detroit Lions and the Lions Foundation are being planned.
Women’s Power Breakfast (WPB) caps off Gleaners’ fundraising campaign, Powered by Food, which focuses on alleviating hunger for local kids. WPB serves as the campaign finale, assembling supporters to raise funds to address food insecurity for local families, hear from local changemakers, enjoy networking opportunities, and learn more about ending childhood hunger in our community.
Across Gleaners’ five-county service area, more than 316,000 students may not have enough to eat, especially in the evenings, on weekends or over school breaks. Last year, in 2023, more than five hundred people attended Women’s Power Breakfast, raising more than $323,000 – which equates to nearly 1 million meals for kids and families!
“At Gleaners, we believe ‘child’ and hunger’ are two words that should never go together,” says Halverson. “When you attend the Women’s Power Breakfast, you’re joining a powerful collective of women who are passionate about ensuring a brighter future for children in our community, and making certain every child has access to enough healthy food to thrive.”
Tickets for this year’s Women’s Power Breakfast are on sale now! Join the movement to end childhood hunger in Southeast Michigan by reserving your seat today.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit: The Women’s Power Breakfast | Gleaners Community Food Bank (gcfb.org)