Food Gatherers is launching its Summer Food Service Program to support families who would otherwise miss out on school meals for their children.
Food Gatherers CEO Eileen Spring says many children in Washtenaw County rely on school meals to get adequate sustenance. She says the organization has set up five sites in Ypsilanti, Milan, Whitmore Lake and Belleville for families to pick up seven breakfasts and lunches per child weekly.
She adds food insecurity is high during the summer and often overlooked compared to the holiday season.
“When schools close, for many young people, they lose access to meals. So, this is an effort to kind of help with that and to provide some meals throughout the summer months, so kids could focus on all of the other things they should be doing during the summer; enjoying themselves and getting outside.”
Spring says this year, Food Gatherers plans to hand out more than 112,000 meals to over 1,200 kids by mid-August.
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