Gleaners Community Food Bank Of Southeastern Michigan

GLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK OF SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN (GLEANERS OR GCFB) IS ONE OF OVER 200 FOOD BANKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHOSE MISSION IT IS TO BRING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, SUPPORTED BY ENGAGING PARTNERS AND THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS, TO ADDRESS HUNGER IN THEIR RESPECTIVE REGIONS. OUR FOCUS IS ON PROVIDING NUTRITIOUS FOOD AND RELATED RESOURCES TO FOOD-INSECURE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN OUR FIVE-COUNTY SERVICE AREA, INCLUDING WAYNE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, LIVINGSTON, AND MONROE COUNTIES. WE DO THIS BY BRINGING FOOD DIRECTLY TO THE COMMUNITY VIA MOBILE DISTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING. WE ALSO WORK CLOSELY WITH OVER 400 FOOD PANTRIES, SCHOOLS, SOUP KITCHENS, OTHER NON-PROFITS, ETC. TO IDENTIFY AND HELP DISTRIBUTE FOOD DIRECTLY TO THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST, AND WE COMPLEMENT THAT WORK BY EMPOWERING HOUSEHOLDS WITH FOOD EDUCATION, INCLUDING BUDGET-CONSCIOUS NUTRITION AND COOKING. IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, OUR PROGRAMMING REACHED 586,765 HOUSEHOLDS WITH 47 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD.

GLEANERS CORE ACTIVITY INVOLVES SECURING, STORING, AND DISTRIBUTING NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO THOSE IN NEED VIA A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS, SCHOOLS, AND PROGRAMS LOCATED THROUGHOUT WAYNE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, LIVINGSTON AND MONROE COUNTIES. IN FY2022, GLEANERS FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS TOTALED 47 MILLION POUNDS, EQUATING TO OVER 39 MILLION MEALS. TO SUPPLEMENT OUR NETWORK OF PARTNER AGENCY DISTRIBUTIONS IN FY2022, GLEANERS MAINTAINED A NETWORK OF 24 EQUIVALENT BI-WEEKLY MOBILE FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS INITIATED DURING THE PANDEMIC AND FOCUSED ON THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THESE COMMUNITY MOBILES SERVED 130,732 MEAL PACKAGES THROUGH 553 DISTRIBUTIONS IN FY2022, INCLUDING FRESH PRODUCE AND MILK, ALONG WITH SHELF STABLE AND FROZEN FOOD STAPLES. DISTRIBUTIONS THROUGH COMMUNITY MOBILES TOTALED NEARLY 5 MILLION POUNDS OF THE 47 MILLION POUNDS OF TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS.IN FY2022, GLEANERS SERVED STUDENTS AND FAMILIES THROUGH SCHOOL MOBILE FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS AT 60 SITES WITH 1.6 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD.GLEANERS SENIOR MOBILE PANTRIES BRING NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO LOW-INCOME SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES. GLEANERS PROVIDED 277,000 POUNDS OF FOOD, THROUGH MONTHLY FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS, TO NINE SENIOR-SPECIFIC SITES.THE MY NEIGHBORHOOD MOBILE GROCERY (MNMG) PROGRAM, A WEEKLY POP-UP RETAIL GROCERY MODEL WHICH CONCLUDED IN SEPTEMBER 2022, PROVIDED NUTRITIOUS, QUALITY, AFFORDABLE FOOD TO SENIOR AND VETERAN COMMUNITIES ACROSS SE MICHIGAN WHO FACED FOOD ACCESS BARRIERS. IN FY2022, MNMG WAS A TRUSTED, RELIABLE, AND SAFE FOOD SOURCE FOR THE SENIORS AND VETERANS AT 16 SITES WHO WERE SERVED VIA 499 SHOPPING SESSIONS THROUGH NEARLY 11,000 PURCHASE TRANSACTIONS.HENRY'S GROCERIES FOR HEALTH #2 (HGFH#2) WAS A PROGRAM WITH HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM WHICH PROVIDED BI-WEEKLY HOME DELIVERIES OF NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO FOOD INSECURE PATIENTS. SCALED FROM A SUCCESSFUL EARLIER PROGRAM, HGFH#2 CONCLUDED IN AUGUST 2022. 737 PATIENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE 12-MONTH PROGRAM, RECEIVING A TOTAL OF 20,840 HOME FOOD DELIVERIES WITH 89.8% DELIVERY SUCCESS RATE.PROVIDING NUTRITIOUS FOOD THAT FAMILIES WANT AND NEED IS A PRIORITY, INCLUDING FRESH MILK. LEVERAGING A BROAD RANGE OF GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE USDA, UNITED DAIRY INDUSTRY OF MICHIGAN, AND THE MICHIGAN DAIRY FARMERS, GLEANERS WAS ABLE TO SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTE 673,000 GALLONS OF FLUID MILK TO THE COMMUNITY IN FY2022.IN TOTAL FOR FY2022, GLEANERS PROGRAMMING REACHED 586,765 HOUSEHOLDS VIA BOTH OUR PARTNER AGENCIES AND OUR DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER DISTRIBUTIONS ACROSS OUR FIVE-COUNTY SERVICE AREA. APPLYING THE FY2022 AVERAGE OF 2.5 INDIVIDUALS PER HOUSEHOLD SERVED, FOR THOSE DISTRIBUTION IN WHICH WE HAVE HOUSEHOLD DETAIL, EQUATES TO NEARLY 1.5 MILLION INDIVIDUALS REACHED IN FY2022.

OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM CREATES EXPERIENCES FOR PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN HUNGER-RELIEF WORK. FROM PACKING MEAL BAGS FOR COMMUNITY MOBILE DISTRIBUTIONS TO WORKING THE FRONT LINES AND PLACING FOOD INTO VEHICLE TRUNKS, VOLUNTEERS ARE ENGAGED WITH A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FOR OUR NEIGHBORS EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY. OVER 16,000 VOLUNTEER SHIFTS WERE COMPLETED IN FY2022.

THE SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM (SFSP) IS SUPPORTED BY THE USDA AND MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND PROVIDES BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TO LOW-INCOME CHILDREN DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, OR WHEN SCHOOL IS CLOSED AND STUDENTS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS SCHOOL MEALS. SFSP PREPARED MEALS WERE OFFERED AT 66 SITES FROM JUNE THROUGH AUGUST 2022. THESE MEALS WERE AVAILABLE AT BOTH CENTER-BASED PROGRAM SITES (42 SITES) AND ON MOBILE SERVICE ROUTES (24 SITES) SERVING 93,646 BREAKFAST AND LUNCHES.THE CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM (CACFP), ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE USDA AND THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, PROVIDES AFTER SCHOOL SUPPERS TO LOW-INCOME CHILDREN AT SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING AFTER-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT FOR YOUTH DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. IN FY2022, GLEANERS SERVED 47,909 MEALS THROUGH THE CACFP PROGRAM AT 20 SITES.

SHARE OUR STRENGTH'S COOKING MATTERS (CM) IS A NATIONAL NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT TEACHES FAMILIES WITH LOW-INCOME HOW TO PREPARE HEALTHY MEALS ECONOMICALLY AND HOW CHILDREN CAN MAKE HEALTHIER CHOICES. LED BY EMPLOYEE AND VOLUNTEER CHEFS AND NUTRITIONISTS, CM TEACHES ADULTS COOKING AND FOOD MANAGEMENT SKILLS, AND INTRODUCES YOUTH TO CONCEPTS OF GOOD NUTRITION AND HOW TO IMPROVE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS. IN FY2022, 1,965 PEOPLE GRADUATED FROM THE PROGRAM. CM IS CURRENTLY OFFERING HYBRID PROGRAMMING, MEANING COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN PARTICIPATE IN VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON CLASSES.