Throughout the school year, many students receive free breakfast and lunch. But during summer break, some families struggle to put food on the table. That’s why Local 4 is partnering with Gleaners Community Food Bank to help bridge the gap.
At Gleaners’ facility in Taylor, volunteers like Jeanne Antulis help pack and sort food that will ultimately reach families across Southeast Michigan.
“At the end of the shift they always tell you how many boxes you packed, how many pounds of food, how many meals it will supply. And that’s a really good feeling,” Antulis said.
Gleaners relies on volunteers to keep food moving from the warehouse to kitchen tables across the region.
“My hope is that I can keep doing it and Gleaners is around for a long time because there’s such a need for it,” Antulis said.
Gleaners leaders say the need spikes when kids are out of school and may lose access to regular breakfasts and lunches.
“They don’t go to school. They don’t have their breakfasts and lunches and if that’s the only meal that they’re getting in a day, it’s really hard,” said Bettina LeBlanc, a Gleaners area specialist.
That’s where the Hunger Free Summer initiative comes in. Each year, the campaign helps provide meals to tens of thousands of children during summer break.
“Hunger Free Summer is attempting to bridge that gap so that just because kids aren’t going to school to get their food, they’re still able to get a meal kit on a regular basis,” LeBlanc said.
To put the issue into perspective, Feeding America says one in five children in Michigan face hunger — roughly 400,000 kids.
Even as demand remains high, Gleaners says volunteer numbers often dip during the heart of summer.
“Our numbers do tend to dip in July and August for sure, but the need is still there,” LeBlanc said.
Gleaners serves five counties in Southeast Michigan, and organizers are asking the community to help by showing up or giving what they can.
If you want to support the effort, you can volunteer or make a monetary donation to Gleaners, which will be used to buy needed food items.