Hunger Free Summer Campaign Launches in Southeast MichiganGleaners Community Food Bank is partnering with local Southeast Michigan businesses to provide 2 million meals to hungry southeast Michigan children this summer; kicking off their Hunger Free Summer campaign today with an Executive Volunteer event.
By: Gleaners Community Food Bank of SE Michigan June 14, 2012 - PRLog -- Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners) is partnering with Charter One Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the Joshua (Jim) and Eunice Stone Foundation and Epoch Restaurant Group to provide 2 million meals to hungry southeast Michigan children this summer; kicking off their Hunger Free Summer campaign today with an Executive Volunteer event. The event and press conference were held at Gleaners’ Detroit Warehouse at 2131 Beaufait in Detroit.
More than 315,000 children in southeast Michigan receive free or reduced-fee meals during the school year. In the summer months, these children are at risk of missing meals. One in five Michigan children live in poverty, a problem highly related to hunger. During the ten-week Hunger Free Summer campaign, ending September 10, 2012, Gleaners will provide 2 million meals to children and their families through their Summer Food Service, BackPack and school-based mobile pantry programs, as well as through their extensive network of over 600 partner soup kitchens, pantries and shelters. Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by: Charter One Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the Joshua (Jim) and Eunice Stone Foundation, Epoch Restaurant Group and American Specialty Oils. Every $1 donation provides six nutritious lunches for hungry children in southeastern Michigan. "Charter One is pleased to again underwrite the Hunger Free Summer campaign,” said Sandy Pierce, president of Charter One and RBS Citizens, Michigan. “When children are hungry, it is difficult for them to learn, grow and thrive. At Charter One we believe no child should go hungry and that's why for the last six years we've partnered with organizations to help raise community awareness of this critical issue.” More than 45 CEOs, executives and business leaders from across southeast Michigan came to Gleaners at 9:00 am to fill backpacks with nutritious food. Backpacks and other food will be delivered to over 160 Hunger Free Summer feeding programs across southeast Michigan beginning Friday, June 15th. Michigan Charter One President Sandy Pierce lead a brief press conference outlining the Hunger Free Summer campaign; Janet Lawson of Ford Motor Company Fund, Chris Gould from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Toni Wisne-Sabina of Epoch Restaurant Group shared the reasons their companies continue to support this important initiative and asked the volunteering business leaders and community at large, to join the effort. Oscar and Grammy award winner Luis Resto and his brother Mario Resto, performed I Wonder If Anybody Knows (About Me), publicly for the first time. The original song was composed by Mario Resto to help further awareness of the growing hunger problem in our nation. “Childhood hunger affects everyone in a community. Research shows the alarming affect insufficient nutrition has on a child’s brain development; Now through September 10, 2012, donations can be made: Donate Online Calling 866-GLEANER (453-2637) Text “HFS” TO 85944 (a $10 donation will be added to donor’s cell phone bill –message and data rates may apply.) Checks by Mail: Hunger Free Summer, P.O. Box 1380, Troy, MI 48099 Visit online at http://www.hungerfreesummer.org About Gleaners Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners): Founded in 1977, Gleaners is one of the oldest and largest food banks in the country. Today it distributes more than 40 million pounds of emergency food annually, equivalent to 85,284 meals per day. Headquartered in Detroit, Gleaners operates a total of five distribution centers in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties, which provide food to over 600 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies throughout southeastern Michigan. Of every dollar donated, Gleaners uses 94 cents for food and food programs. One dollar provides three meals for a hungry neighbor. Learn more at http://www.gcfb.org. Charter One Foundation Charter One Foundation is a subsidiary of the Citizens Charitable Foundation, which is a charitable contributions vehicle of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. The foundation’s support is focused on human services, affordable housing and economic development. Charter One’s website is charterone.com. Charter One Charter One is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. It has 341 branches and 534 ATMs. It has 103 branches and 111 ATMs in Michigan. Charter One’s website is charterone.com. RBS Citizens, N.A., is a subsidiary of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $130 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and through its subsidiaries has more than 1,460 branches, approximately 3,800 ATMs and approximately 19,200 colleagues. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. RBSCFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. RBSCFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). RBSCFG’s website is citizensbank.com. Supporters: Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and American heritage and community life. The Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and retirees each year work on projects that better their communities in dozens of countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Founded in 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand with more than 6,000 neighborhood and airport locations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Germany. Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers a wide variety of car leasing, vanpooling, car sharing and hourly rental programs – and local car rental customers are picked up at no extra cost. Epoch Restaurant Group Headquartered in Novi, MI, Epoch Hospitality Group specializes in the restaurant and catering industry. Since its formation in the early 1980’s, Epoch has evolved from its beginnings as a modest, hotel-based operation to a leading hospitality management company. The company is privately owned by the Wisne family. Employing nearly 400, Epoch Hospitality Group operates two Knot Just a Bar casual nautical-themed eateries located in Bay Harbor and Omena, Mich.; Epoch Events, a full-service off-premise catering and event planning firm providing services throughout southeast and mid-Michigan; Additional Support Provided By: The Joshua (Jim) and Eunice Stone Foundation A family foundation, The Joshua (Jim) and Eunice Stone Foundation supports a variety of causes in communities across America. In response to understanding that there are dire needs at this time, the foundation’s current focus is on fighting hunger. End
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