During the school year, many children receive food through free and discounted school breakfast and lunch programs. However, over the summer there is less of a safety net for these families. The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor’s Fight Summer Hunger Food and Fund Drive runs March 5-16. Their goal is to provide 80000 meals throughout the summer through donations of non-perishables and cash. Cash donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Each dollar you donate funds 6 meals after matching.
Donation locations include most
- Ann Arbor Public Schools (Allen, Abbot, Ann Arbor Open, A2Steam, Bryant, Burns Park, Carpenter, Clague, Eberwhite, Lakewood, Pioneer, Skyline, Slauson, Tappan, Thurston, Wines)
- numerous Gretchen’s House locations
- Ypsilanti Schools (Erickson)
- Lincoln Schools (Childs)
- Saline Schools.
Other donation locations frequented by families include:
- Ann Arbor District Library (Downtown Branch)
- Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
- Ann Arbor YMCA
- Zingerman’s Deli and other businesses
Get the full list of donation locations on Food Gatherer’s website. Fund donations can also be done on the website. Learn more about the drive in the press release below:
Rotary Club Campaign to Fight Summer Hunger Starts March 5
Ann Arbor, MI (March 2, 2018)—The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor is partnering with Food Gatherers—Washtenaw County’s food rescue/food bank program—to help fight hunger locally. Rotary Fights Summer Hunger Fund and Food Drive takes place March 5-16, 2018. More than 80 local businesses and organizations will collect funds and non-perishable food items from community members. The goal for this year’s drive is to collect enough food to provide 80,000 meals throughout the summer.
The Rotary Club encourages people to take advantage of the Harold and Kay Peplau Match Challenge by making financial contributions to the campaign. During the drive, all monetary donations to Food Gatherers will be matched dollar-for-dollar. When matched, every dollar donated will provide enough food for 6 meals.
Food collected during the drive will be distributed to Food Gatherers’ network of 170 partner programs that provide food pantries and meal services for individuals and families throughout Washtenaw County. These programs include more than 30 Summer Food Service Program sites that offer meals to children along with nutrition education classes.
Spring food drive donations are especially important for families with school-aged children who depend on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. When school ends for the summer, many low-income families need help replacing those meals. Food collected during Rotary Fights Summer Hunger Fund and Food Drive helps ensure that children in these families have the nourishment they need to grow healthy and strong.
What to Contribute: Food and Funds Community members may donate non-perishable food items and financial gifts during the campaign.
Food
• Bring food donations to the collection boxes at participating businesses.
• Please consider donating the following most-needed items: low/no-sodium, high-protein products such as beans (canned or dried), canned meats (tuna, chicken, etc.), and peanut butter; low/no-sodium hearty soups (beef stew, chili, etc.); canned fruit; baby food and formula; Ensure or other supplemental nutrition drinks.
Funds
1. Make gifts of cash and checks (payable to Food Gatherers) at participating businesses.
2. Donate online at foodgatherers.org/rotary
3. Donate at Food Gatherers Warehouse, 1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105. The Warehouse is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.
Donation Collection Sites
Find a complete list of businesses accepting food donations for the Rotary Fight Summer Hunger Food and Fund Drive on Food Gatherers here: http://www.foodgatherers.org/rotary2018
About Food Gatherers
Food Gatherers’ mission is to alleviate hunger and eliminate its root causes in Washtenaw County. As the food bank and food rescue program for the county, we distribute 6.5 million pounds of food to 170 non-profit programs serving approximately 44,500 low-income adults, seniors and children every year. For a list of our partner programs or to learn how you can become involved in the fight against hunger locally, please visit www.foodgatherers.org or call (734) 761-2796.
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