DETROIT – The Detroit Lions, in partnership with Kroger Co. of Michigan and Lineage Foundation for Good, teamed up with Gleaners Community Food Bank to tackle food insecurity this Thanksgiving, packaging more than 57,500 total meals for families in the Detroit community.
The week before Thanksgiving, Detroit Lions players, coaches and staff, along with Kroger staff, Lineage staff and Gleaners volunteers gathered at Gleaners headquarters in Taylor, Mich. to pack 2,500 meal kits. The kits were packed with the following ingredients provided by Kroger and Lineage: green beans, corn, fruit, dressing/stuffing, potatoes, mac’ n’ cheese, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy and corn muffins mix.”We are proud to collaborate with the Detroit Lions to assemble and distribute 2,500 Thanksgiving meal kits, bringing nourishment and joy to families across the greater metro-Detroit area this holiday season,” said Cam Barrett, Corporate Affairs Manager for the Kroger Co. of Michigan. “The holidays embody togetherness, creating lasting memories, and no family should face the fight against food insecurity during this special time. Food is at the heart of many cherished holiday traditions, and we are delighted to provide families with the means to create these enduring traditions, ensuring that every household can experience the warmth and abundance of the holidays.””Thanksgiving is a time for sharing joy, not worrying about putting food on the table. Compared to this time last year, we have seen a 30% increase in demand for our services due to inflation and the heightened cost of living,” said Angela Halverson, Director of Community Giving, Gleaners Community Food Bank. “We are grateful for the support of Kroger, Lineage, and the Detroit Lions for their generous donations and volunteer efforts in packing the 2,500 meal kits for families across Southeast Michigan during this critical time.”The meal kits were distributed at four Gleaners mobile distribution sites in Southeastern Michigan: Southwest Solutions at St. Anthony Nonprofit Center (Nov. 16), Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (Nov. 17), Perfecting Community Church (Nov. 20), and Ford Community and Performing Arts Center (Nov. 21). A fifth and final distribution of the packed meals took place with the help of Lions Legends on November 21 at Detroit PAL, a community partner of the Detroit Lions Foundation.“The Detroit Lions made football synonymous with Thanksgiving, and there is no day more special in Detroit than Thanksgiving Day. For far too many in this city, however, food insecurity is a continuous struggle, and it is our long-term vision that everyone in Detroit has a Thanksgiving meal,” said Detroit Lions Vice President of the Detroit Lions Foundation & Community Relations Roxanne Caine. “We are dedicated to fighting food insecurity in Detroit year-round, and we are grateful for our partners, Kroger, Lineage and Gleaners, for joining us in raising awareness and providing meals throughout our community.”The Lions will play their 84th annual Thanksgiving Day Classic against the Green Bay Packers on November 23 (kickoff 12:30 PM).For B-roll of the meal packing and distribution events, click HERE.
#30#
ABOUT KROGER CO. OF MICHIGAN
At The Kroger Co. of Michigan, a company of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are 15,000 associates who serve customers daily through a seamless shopping experience throughout Michigan. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
ABOUT LINEAGE FOUNDATION FOR GOOD
The Lineage Foundation for Good (the “Foundation”) is the independent philanthropic arm of Lineage. Stacked with unique cold chain expertise and strategic relationships a plenty, the Foundation is bridging the hunger gap across the world and in our local communities – and everyone is invited to be a part of it. No one likes to see food go to waste, especially while people go hungry. That’s why Lineage Foundation for Good is stepping up to find second chances for surplus food. Our mission is to develop a dynamic, real-time and global link between those who commercially produce our food and the individuals, families and communities who need it most. We know the issue of food waste and insecurity is a global one that is also felt close to home – and with our collective of customers, volunteers and donation partners all around the world, our impact can reach further. In other words, there’s nowhere for hunger and food waste to hide.
ABOUT GLEANERS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK
Headquartered in Detroit, Gleaners serves five Southeast Michigan counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe. Gleaners provides food to nearly 400 partner agencies, including schools, soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and others across the region, and supplements the efforts of those partners by offering direct service drive-up grocery distributions. Every dollar donated provides three meals. For more information, visit gcfb.org.
ABOUT THE DETROIT LIONS
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The team located to Detroit in 1934 and is the National Football League’s fifth oldest franchise. The Detroit Lions most recently made the NFL playoffs in 2016, when they finished with a 9-7 record. For more information, please visit www.detroitlions.com. |
