Cereal Drive
Cereal Drive May 31 - June 7
For the past 14 years the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Professional Nurse Council at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) has partnered with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan to lead a community effort to provide children with a consistent daily meal over summer recess.
Our cereal drive began in June, 2010, collecting 160,757 servings of cereal. We immediately recognized the positive impact this project had on our community and eagerly set a goal to make this an annual event! Over the past fourteen years we are collected 13,585,931 servings of cereal for the children of southeast Michigan!
Ranked as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, the Children’s Hospital of Michigan takes seriously our role as stewards of children’s health. Hunger affects health. With a proven connection between nutrition and good health, our mission is clear.
We’re asking for you to help us improve the lives and the health of our community’s children. Collected cereal will be donated to Gleaners Community Food Bank, who will distribute the cereal collection to children and their families over the summer.
Ways to Give
The 15th Annual Cereal Drive will kick off May 31 and runs through June 7. We recommend that you collect your cereal during the month of May, however, you may run your cereal drive whenever you like. Below are the two ways you can give:
- Online: All virtual donations will go to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan to support the community wherever the need is greatest this year. To donate, click here.
- In Person: You will be able to deliver collected cereal to Children’s Hospital of Michigan, by appointment, beginning May 31st through June 7th. We are not able to accommodate food delivered prior to May 31, 2024 so we ask that you store your cereal in a secure, food friendly, and critter-free environment until it can be delivered.
Please call Pam Taurence at 313-745-6456 to schedule your cereal drop at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. All drop-offs will take place at our main hospital at 3901 Beaubien Blvd., Detroit, MI 48201.
For assistance with large donations please call Bob Irland at (313) 308-0628.
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Child Hunger In Our Community
- Feeding America’s 2022 Map the Meal Gap estimated that 1 in 5 children in southeast Michigan were food insecure.
- It is estimated that in 2020, 594,890 people in southeast Michigan experienced food insecurity.
- In southeast Michigan, more than 305,000 children receive free or reduced-price meals in school. When school recesses for the summer, these children are vulnerable to undernourishment and hunger.
- Why cereal? Cereal is an important food item for our food distributions. Cereal is an expensive item for Gleaners to purchase for distribution, yet it is also one of the items in highest demand. Cereal is a nutritious, vitamin-rich food that needs no preparation, is easily stored, and is well-liked by children.
- Gleaners continues to respond to increased need through more than 600 community partners and dozens of community mobiles.
- Gleaners distributed over 47 million pounds of food in its 2022 fiscal year.
- Every dollar donated provides three meals and 94 cents of every donated dollar goes to food and food programs.
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