Because Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation

The end of the school year often marks the end of a guaranteed meal for almost half of Detroit’s children. In Southeast Michigan, more than 300,000 free or reduced fee breakfasts and lunches are served daily during the school year.

The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Professional Nurse Council at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) is leading a community effort to provide area children with a consistent daily meal over summer recess. The 8th Annual Cereal Drive kicks off on Friday, June 2, and runs through June 9, 2017. The cereal collected will be donated to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan and distributed to over 500 food pantries throughout Southeastern Michigan.

“As one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, we do not just treat sick or injured children, we are also in the business of keeping them healthy,” said Luanne Thomas Ewald, CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Ms. Thomas Ewald added, “Our nurses and staff really embrace this drive and the important connection it makes between nutrition and healthy kids.”

The Cereal Drive began in June, 2010, and that year the hospital collected 160,757 servings of cereal. Last year, as community awareness increased, over one million servings of cereal were collected that resulted in stocking the shelves of more than 500 food pantries within Southeastern Michigan.

Donations of cereal will be collected from June 2 through June 9, 2017. Please visit Children’s Hospital of Michigan for more information on how to get involved. To provide a monetary donation for perishable breakfast items, please visit Gleaners Virtual Cereal Drive.

"Breakfast is such an important meal for growing children," said Gerry Brisson, president of Gleaners. "Yet, it's often skipped by families who struggle to make ends meet. The cereal provided through this remarkable drive will help thousands of kids start their days with the nourishment they need to be happy, not hungry, this summer."

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About the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, childrensdmc.org
For 130 years, the Children’s Hospital of Michigan has been dedicated to providing high quality care to children and adolescents in a caring, efficient and family-centered environment. With more than 40 pediatric medical and surgical specialty services, the hospital draws patients from nearly every Michigan County, 39 additional states, and 22 countries, annually and provides the highest level of pediatric specialty care available for children. The hospital is a national leader in cardiology and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, nephrology, and orthopedics. It is ranked as one of America’s best hospitals for children and sees more children than any hospital in the state. Children’s Hospital of Michigan is one of eight hospitals operated by the Detroit Medical Center (DMC).

About Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners):
For nearly 40 years, Gleaners Community Food Bank has been “feeding hungry people and nourishing our communities.” Headquartered in Detroit, Gleaners operates five distribution centers in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties and provides food to 535 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other agencies throughout southeastern Michigan. Gleaners collects 34.5 million pounds of food a year and distributes 79,000 meals each day including providing nourishing food and nutrition education to 84,700 children a year. Every dollar donated provides three meals and 93 cents of every donated dollar goes to food and food programs. Learn more at www.gcfb.org.