TAYLOR, Mich. – Hunger doesn’t take a break during the summer, and Local 4 volunteers spent the day helping make sure kids have enough to eat while school is out.
At Gleaners Community Food Bank, volunteers sorted produce and packed boxes along an assembly line, each one filled with food meant to help families stretch through the summer months.
“Not all food insecurity looks the same. People can have cars, they can have homes, and they can still struggle with feeding their kids,” volunteer Fatima Elfakih said.
According to Feeding America, one in five children in Michigan faces hunger, roughly 400,000 kids.
That’s why Local 4 partnered with Gleaners for our June Go 4 It event, supporting the organization’s Hunger Free Summer initiative.
“Hunger Free Summer is really important because when kids are out of school, they may be missing two of the three meals they have access to at school, breakfast and lunch,” said Kristin Sokul with Gleaners Community Food Bank. “We also know summer brings increased expenses for families.”
Volunteers worked side-by-side to get boxes ready for distribution, with support from Local 4 viewers and teams from Citizens Bank and Rocket Community Fund.
“My job is packing these mobile food boxes. They come down the assembly line, get to my station, and I’m the tape woman,” Rocket volunteer Lauren Carlisle said.
Volunteer Paul Gyorke said it’s rewarding to be part of the effort.
“It’s just a good feeling,” Gyorke said.
Elfakih said the impact is hard to ignore when you realize what each box represents.
“To hold this box and know it’s 24 pounds of food going to someone experiencing food insecurity is a very humbling experience,” she said.
How to help
If you’d like to support the Hunger Free Summer initiative, you can make a monetary donation here. Keep Kids Fueled for a Hunger-Free Summer.
If you or someone you know needs food assistance, call 2-1-1.
Gleaners is always looking for volunteers, especially during the summer. You can sign up to volunteer here: https://gcfb.volunteerhub.com/vv2/lp/wdivvolunteerevent.