(WWJ) – As kids across Southeast Michigan get out of school and look forward to summer break fun, Gleaners Food Bank is stepping up to make sure they don’t go hungry.
Gleaners is teaming up with Citizens Financial Group to launch the Hunger Free Summer campaign. Generous donors with Citizens and others will match all donations to Gleaners to have twice the impact.
Gleaners officials say just $1 provides six meals to families in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe Counties.
Kristin Sokul with Gleaners tells WWJ’s Luke Sloan “far too many families in Southeast Michigan continue to struggle with food insecurity.”
“That becomes a particular problem in summertime when those kids are in school and they get free lunch and breakfast… and then summer happens and where do those meals go?”
With inflated grocery prices adding additional strain, Sokul says Gleaners has already been seeing monthly increases for the last year and “we’re facing a crisis point for some families.”
“Kids should be enjoying summer break, not worrying about where their next meals are coming from,” Gleaners officials said.
Gleaners offers meals through multiple programs, including mobile food distribution sites allowing families to drive through and get up to 30 lbs. of groceries to cook at home.
The summer food service program sees Gleaners deliver ready-made meals to stationary locations where kids will already be – including summer camps – and allow them to eat on-site.
Anyone interested in donating to the Hunger Free Summer campaign can visit https://www.gcfb.org/hunger-free-summer/.
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