The Troy -based Suburban Collection’s third annual Drive Away Hunger fundraising campaign, in partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank, has raised nearly $85,000, which will provide more than 500,000 meals throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, and Livingston counties.
The project began late Fall of 2022 and continued through the holidays with Suburban employees at 40 locations throughout metro Detroit and Ann Arbor developing and executing a wide range of fundraising initiatives. Store customers also were able to give both monetary and food donations.
“Gleaners has been a reliable lifeline for so many families in our communities who have been facing a really difficult time,” says Chris Shade, platform general manager, Lithia Motors/The Suburban Collection. “Across The Suburban Collection, our team members put forth passion and dedicated efforts to support Gleaners’ mission throughout our community to make sure local families know where their next meals are coming from.”
Angela Halverson, director of donor engagement at Gleaners, says: “We’re at a critical time for households still facing the effects of inflation with the added weight of winter utilities and continued uncertainty. We are grateful for the generosity and dedication of The Suburban Collection to help make sure children, families, seniors and others in our communities have access to the healthy food they need to thrive. When we work together to solve hunger, everyone wins.”
As part of the Drive Away Hunger campaign, The Suburban Collection will allocate funds raised by its Ann Arbor locations to Food Gatherers, the primary food bank serving Washtenaw County communities.