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.

400,000 Michigan kids face hunger each summer as school meals end. You can help bridge the gap and make a difference.

This month, we’re teaming up with Gleaners to help create a hunger-free summer for those who need it.

It’s Giving Tuesday -- a day to make a real difference in people’s lives.

It’s the season of giving, and one way to give back is by donating to Gleaners Community Food Bank which helps to put food on the table of families in need.

Initiative aims to provide healthy breakfast options for kids

Gleaners Community Food Bank, a nonprofit focused on addressing hunger in Metro Detroit, is about to break ground on a new facility in Macomb County.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Bowling Green Falcons took part in a friendly competition Saturday at Gleaners Community Food Bank.

For every dollar donated to Gleaners through Dec. 13, Kroger will match it and double the impact.

Sunday, as the Detroit Lions took on the Miami Dolphins, fans had a chance to give back to the community.

You can support a good cause ahead of Sunday football by bringing a canned item to Ford Field.

A new toy makes the holidays shine bright, especially for children and particularly those whose families who are struggling to make ends meet.

As the prices of fresh produce, meat and other groceries continue to rise, vulnerable neighbors across Southeast Michigan are faced with growing concerns about how they will bring home food to their families.

Earlier this month, children across southeast Michigan transitioned from summer vacation to virtual and in-person learning at school.

The Gleaners Community Food Bank is stepping up to offer free food for Metro Detroit flood victims.

Far too many children and families are worried about where their next meal will come from – but Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan has launched its summer programming to address hunger across Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Macomb and Monroe counties.

According to projections from Feeding America, one in six people -- including one in five children -- across Southeast Michigan are at risk of facing hunger this summer.

Gleaners Community Food Bank is planning for this summer to be a busy one, serving an additional 16,000 homes in Michigan.

Summer is upon us, and for many Michiganders, warm weather, sparkling lakes and summer vacations come to mind. However, for one in six people -- and one in five children -- across southeast Michigan, the summer months can magnify an issue that negatively impacts every facet of day-to-day life: hunger.

With child food insecurity on the rise, some of southeast Michigan’s most powerful and influential corporate, civic and nonprofit female leaders will unite virtually on May 4, 2021, from 7 to 9 a.m., during Gleaners Community Food Bank’s 2021 Women’s Power Breakfast in support of the organization’s work to end childhood hunger.

More than $100,000 in grants have been awarded by the DTE Energy Foundation to help provide meals for Michigan families facing food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic.

For kids, missing meals can result not only in poor health and behavioral challenges, but also significant learning loss. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing many disruptions for school-age kids, children facing summer hunger during extended school closures could fall even further behind their classmates. It also has helped fund Gleaners Summer Food Service Program, providing groceries or meals at sites across the region. A report by Feeding America released in June estimates childhood hunger in Southeast Michigan could grow to nearly 24% in the coming months. With consistent access to nutritious meals, we can ensure kids have the best possible academic and health outcomes, Bonelli said.

To help alleviate some of the burden Southeast Michigan families face, Gleaners Community Food Bank has expanded its services, including Summer Food Service Program sites, where kids enjoy daily meals, and drive-up food distributions, where families receive nutritious groceries. Community members can support this vital work through Gleaners Hunger Free Summer Plus campaign. This year, the Hunger Free Summer Plus campaign must meet an even greater need. Now through Sept. 7, all donations to the Hunger Free Summer Plus campaign will be matched. To learn more about Hunger Free Summer Plus, click here.

DETROIT School-age kids are missing out on many milestones due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including summer fun. And, with the launch of our Hunger Free Summer Plus campaign, we need to raise funds to provide millions of additional meals for children in need.Since 2011, the Hunger Free Summer campaign has provided vital financial support for Gleaners Summer Food Service Program. During so much uncertainty, the Hunger Free Summer campaign offers an opportunity for every individual to make a huge impact in the lives of their neighbors. Youre not just providing meals, you are giving hope.From now through Sept. 7, all donations to the Hunger Free Summer Plus campaign will be matched. To learn more about Hunger Free Summer Plus, click here.

DETROIT Gleaners Community Food Bank announced Tuesday the launch of its Summer Food Service Program, with summer meal sites beginning July 1. The program will complement Gleaners food distribution programs through its more than 500-member partner network, emergency food distribution sites and emergency food box delivery programs to meet increased community need through the COVID-19 crisis. Children have been without access to school meals since mid-March, and without dedicated summer food programs, many kids in our community would spend the summer wondering where their next meal will come from. Gleaners is dedicated to being a stabilizing resource for our kids.This years Summer Food Service Program will use multiple distribution models to meet the needs of children or special needs adults aged 19-26 across southeast Michigan. Meal sites: These 21 sites will be offered in two formats: providing take-home or onsite nutritionally-balanced, pre-prepared breakfasts and/or lunches.

Four students from Siersma Elementary School showcase food available through Gleaners Community Food Bank's School Food Mobile launched at their school in March 2019 as part of the Best Food Forward initiative. To help more students get a successful start to school this fall, Gleaners Community Food Bank launched its Hunger Free Summer campaign in June. Gleaners Community Food Bank Gleaners Community Food Bank, leadership from Warren Consolidated Schools and Siersma Elementary School students celebrate the launch of the School Food Mobile in March 2019, a component of the Best Food Forward initiative. The first of its kind in the country, Best Food Forward takes a holistic approach to achieve food security for every child within a school district at school, at home and in the community. And that's why it was so compelling for us to get involved in Best Food Forward."

Gleaners Community Food BankDETROIT - Kids struggling with summer hunger return to school in the fall lagging behind their peers, and summer learning loss that happens during children's elementary school years can have long-lasting negative effects well into their future. A study by Johns Hopkins University revealed that summer learning loss during elementary school accounts for two-thirds of the achievement gap in reading between low-income children and their middle-income peers by ninth grade. Research from No Kid Hungry, the National Summer Learning Association and the United States Department of Education shows "summer learning loss" especially affects low-income children who may already be struggling with hunger and success at school. "Getting kids the food they need in the summer reduces 'summer slide' and keeps kids healthy and ready to continue learning when school is back in session," said Gerry Brisson, president and CEO of Gleaners. They come in hungry," said Arika Charleston-Shorter, director for Healthy Kidz Incorporated, a Gleaners Summer Food Service Program partner.

That's why our summer programs and Hunger Free Summer campaign are so critical. Through the Summer Food Service Program, thousands of children will have access to nutritious meals provided through more than 90 summer meal sites five days per week. Some will also serve meals on Saturdays, and nearly 70% of the summer meal sites will serve breakfast in addition to lunch. Since the launch of Hunger Free Summer in 2011, Gleaners has expanded the reach of its summer meal program, almost doubling the number of summer meal sites. In addition to the summer meal sites, Gleaners' School Food Mobile program will reach hungry children in high-need communities through nearly 90 monthly mobile pantries.