Weingartz Set to Match Gleaners Donations and Double The Impact on Childhood Hunger
Now through Tuesday, October 6, 2015, Weingartz is partnering with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners) for the 6th Annual Mow Down Hunger campaign. Weingartz, Michigan’s family-owned and locally operated provider of outdoor power equipment, will match every donation with a goal of providing one million meals. Last year Mow Down Hunger helped Gleaners provide over 1.8 million nutritious meals to Michigan children.
More than 300,000 local children rely on free or reduced-fee meals during the school year and often miss meals over the weekend. Mow Down Hunger directly supports programs specifically aimed at alleviating this problem:
- School-Based Mobile Pantry’s distributes up to 150 households with frozen meat, fresh produce and nutritious food. Gleaners anticipates providing 60 monthly distributions of 35-40 pounds, serving 8,000 families.
- The BackPack program is a partnership with 48 local schools and delivers over 8,000 backpacks to children during the school year – 55 additional schools are on Gleaners’ waiting list. Each is filled with enough fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins and grains to make six nutritious meals.
- The SmartBites® bags are filled with healthful snacks and distributed to hungry students at 70 low-income neighborhood schools in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
Both the BackPacks and SmartBites® are filled by school children who volunteer for Gleaners’ Kids Helping Kids® program, educating them about childhood hunger and nutrition.
“As we kick off the 6th year of the Mow Down Hunger campaign, I am excited for the outpouring of support that we receive from our customers, employees and communities,” said President Dan Weingartz. “We are blessed and honored to be the matching sponsor for this program and look forward to another successful campaign and providing another one million meals.”
“The Weingartz family’s commitment and passion to end childhood hunger in our community is truly inspiring,” said Gleaners President Gerry Brisson. “Their longtime support continues to provide nutritious meals to thousands of hungry children in southeast Michigan each month. I am grateful for their generosity and dedication to ensure that our kids get the nourishment they need and deserve.”
All Weingartz locations are accepting monetary and nonperishable food donations through October 6, 2014. Visit https://www.weingartz.com/locations to view store hours and locations.
Donations can be made:
– Online: Visit www.MowDownHunger.com
– Call: 855–315–FOOD (3663)
– Text: “EAT” to 85944 (Automatic $10 donation added to donor’s phone bill)
– Mail: Make check payable to: Gleaners Community Food Bank (P.O. Box 33221, Drawer 43, Detroit, MI 48232-3321)
Please include Mow Down Hunger on memo line of check to ensure matching contribution
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