Third Annual Hunger Free Summer Campaign Exceeds Goal of Providing 2 Million Meals to Children

DETROIT - Sept. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- (September 17, 2013 – Detroit, MI) … Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (Gleaners) and the Charter One Foundation are thrilled to announce the 2013 Hunger Free Summer campaign provided more than 2 million meals to hungry children in southeast Michigan. The 2013 Hunger Free Summer campaign raised more funds and distributed more meals than the previous campaigns.

With the support of 12 additional corporate sponsors – Ford Motor Company, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Epoch Hospitality Group, Rattlesnake Club, Andiamo Restaurant Group, David & Cherie A. Bazzy, The Joshua (Jim) and Eunice Stone Foundation, Grainger, Delta Air Lines, American Specialty Oils, Baker Tilly, and Jenkins & Company, P.C. – Gleaners exceeded their campaign goal by $100,000, which will provide an additional 300,000 meals.

“I’m humbled by the overwhelming community support, helping to keep children nourished over the summer,” said W. DeWayne Wells, president of Gleaners. “Thanks to the Charter One Foundation’s leadership, and the partnership of our other match donors and generous supporters, we’ve helped thousands of kids enjoy a Hunger Free Summer.”

Nearly 320,000 children in southeast Michigan rely on free or reduced-fee meals during the school year. When the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are unavailable, these children and their families risk missing meals. For the third year, the Hunger Free Summer campaign worked with companies and communities throughout southeast Michigan to help alleviate childhood hunger.

Thanks to the addition of new match donors – Andiamo Restaurant Group, Baker Tilly, Delta Air Lines, Jenkins & Company, P.C., and Rattlesnake Club – and an increase in community donations, Gleaners provided more than two million meals to children and their families through their feeding programs including: School-Based Mobile Pantries, Summer Food Service and Weekend BackPacks.

“There is nothing more important to us than supporting the community,” said Ken Marblestone, president of Charter One and RBS Citizens for Michigan and Ohio. “Hunger is a major concern in our communities and Charter One has been working with Gleaners for the past seven years to tackle it. We believe that helping children stay nourishes gives them the opportunity to reach their full potential in the classroom and beyond.”

Hunger Free Summer donations were matched dollar-for-dollar. Every $1 donation provided six nutritious meals for hungry children in southeast Michigan.

About Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan
For more than 36 years, Gleaners Community Food Bank has been "feeding hungry people and nourishing our communities." Last year, Gleaners distributed more than 46 million pounds of emergency food to over 550 partner schools, soup kitchens, shelters and pantries in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties. Of every dollar donated, Gleaners uses 93 cents for food and food programs. One dollar provides three meals for a hungry neighbor.  Learn more at www.gcfb.org.

About the Charter One Foundation
Charter One Foundation is a subsidiary of the Citizens Charitable Foundation, which is a charitable contributions vehicle of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. The foundation’s support is focused on human services, affordable housing and economic development. Charter One’s website is charterone.com.