Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Light Up the D focus on what's happening
in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning and welcome to Light Up the D. I'm
your host, Colleen Graham. Thanks for joining me today. I
am happy to be joined once again by our friends
at Gleaners and Citizens.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
We have Kristin Solkel.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
She is the senior director of Advancement, Communications, Marketing, Media
and PR at Gleaners and yas me and jac she's
the Michigan Regional president for Citizens.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Thank you guys for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We're really excited to be talking to you about what's
going on over the summer.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
I'm excited to be back.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Thank you, Thank you for having us. Well, let's talk
about it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Let's talk about First of all, let's get everybody in
the know about what Gleaner's role is in the community,
which I mean, you guys are such a substantial organization
that really has tentacle to so many other organizations supporting
our community.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Tell us what Gleaners does fundamentally.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Yeah, I would love to So, Gleaners is your traditional
style food bank and so well, there's a little bit
of confusion about what a food bank does versus say,
a food pantry. So we're kind of the hub of
the wheel that feed out to spokes, which are the pantry,
soup kitchens agencies.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
We are collecting, storing, and.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
Distributing mass quantities of food, millions of pounds of food
every single year. And when you think about it, about
seventy five percent of what we distribute goes through that
partner network that's those soup kitchens, agencies, what have you,
and only about twenty five percent of the food that
we collect we go out direct to guests. So nobody
is coming to Gleaner's headquarters in Detroit and getting food
(01:47):
specifically from us, but they may be going to parking
lots across the community. We serve five counties, Wayne, Oakland, Macombe, Monroe,
and Livingston, and they maybe going to some of those
mobiles where we put about thirty five pounds of food
in your car, drive off and now you have some
balanced nutrition to take home with you.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
And your relationship with these food pran tries and organizations
that distribute is their long lasting and they've been around
for such I mean forever.
Speaker 5 (02:14):
Yeah, I mean some of our partnerships go back years
and years and years. We have about three hundred and
fifty partners right now. Sometimes it goes up when needing
the community goes up, and then you have more organizations
that are working to serve to distribute emergency food. And
sometimes it goes down when you know resources may go
away for those particular pantries. But yes, when you're talking
(02:35):
about three hundred, three hundred and fifty different relationships, every
community we serve we have a partner in. And that's
really important because we know from work that Feeding America
has done, every single county in the United States includes
people facing hunger. So this is not a problem that
lives somewhere else. It may live right next door to
(02:56):
you and it doesn't have a face, doesn't have a
zip code, and so it's important and for us to
really be within the community.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, let's talk about what the situation is with food
and security in Southeast Michigan.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Where are we at today.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
Yeah, in Southeast Michigan alone, we're looking at about six
hundred thousand people who may be at risk of hunger
right now, and when you think about summertime, we are
particularly focused on kids because they're not in school, receiving
school provided meals we don't want in five kids is
facing hunger. And so when you think about kids at
(03:30):
a playground, when you think about where you're seeing kids
hanging out and thinking that one in five of those
kids you're looking at probably didn't have breakfast or maybe
they didn't have enough for lunch, that's just not something
that is conscionable. And so we work extra hard in
the summer to make sure that families and kids get
the balance nutrition they need.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, you said earlier, it's faceless. I mean, the.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Slightest change to your normal can cause food and security,
and it can happen to anybody at any time. A
job or you know, your car breaks down and suddenly
you have to put all your money to your car,
and then you don't have the food, or you don't
you can't pay your rent, and there's so many things
that contributed food insecurity and then and it can happen
(04:12):
to anybody, like you said, your neighbor.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
I mean, if there's anything that we have all learned
as a community. When the COVID nineteen pandemic hit, it
was literally overnight where families found themselves in a situation
that they had never been in before, didn't know where
to turn. Maybe you never even needed supplemental food resources before.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
How do I do this? Where do I go?
Speaker 5 (04:35):
And so we know that we need to be nimble
for those circumstances, and it doesn't take a COVID nineteen
pandemic to happen. As you noted, most families really are
living paycheck to paycheck. Whether you are working a lower
wage job or you're very financially stable, most people still
are living directly within those means. And so if those
(04:56):
means change now all of a sudden, you may be
in a circumstance that you didn't expect. So again you
mentioned a couple, but even thinking about if you're a
home where you have one major breadwinner they have a
health episode, now you're right in the same boat.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
And what we tell people is don't wait until.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
You've hit your very last dollar, because when it's a
smaller problem, we can help you more than when it's
a bigger problem. So think about if you are facing
one month where you can't meet all of your financial commitments,
if us helping give you food makes it so that
you can allocate those dollars to other costs that are
not as flexible. Now we've helped you in that one month,
(05:35):
you're back on your feet and you're still doing the
things that you need to do. But if you wait
until you've spent every single last dollar, now it's a
bigger problem to overcome.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, and then you mentioned one in five kids. It
has food and security, particularly over the summer. Talk a
little bit more about that and how that happens.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
Yeah, significantly, About three hundred thousand students in southeastern Michigan
rely on meals at school, and so when summer is out,
they're not getting breakfast or lunch from the school facility.
They could be missing those meals, maybe there isn't enough
food at home to supply those. Even still, if families
have the means, it's still more expensive when kids are
(06:13):
home more. And so the Hunger Free Summer campaign really
takes into account the fact that kids and families have
increased costs over the summer. Not everybody is thinking about
that a summertime.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Right summertime, we're looking at our plans.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
It's fun in the sun and all of those things,
but for some kids it's not. And so for us
to make sure that we're taking care of all of
our kids so that they live a summer ready to
do all of the things that they're capable of doing,
and then being prepared to go back to school in
the fall.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
That's something that you know, we can really take care of.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
And our friends at Citizens have made a priority to
help us with.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, a kid over the summer not having food and
being hungry, it's unconscionable. Any child being hungry, it's unconscionable.
Let's talk about before we get into hungry, hungry, free
summer and also citizens involvement in that.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Why don't we talk.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
A little bit about what it means when a child
doesn't have enough to eat.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
When kids don't get enough to eat, they can lose
some of that health right you need to have.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
You have a growing mind and body.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
You need all of the nutrients, all of the minerals
so that you can continue to grow in the ways
that you need to, to learn in the ways that
you need to. And the kids who don't get enough
to eat over the summer, when they start the next
school year, they can be behind their peers, particularly in
math and reading, by as much as three months, and
so think about when you were a young child you're
(07:38):
going into the next grade. I mean, there's already some
nerves in learning new things, but if you're starting far
behind your peers, that's even more stressful. And when you're stressed,
you can't learn as well. And now it's a perpetual cycle.
So if we can make sure that those kids get
the balance nutrition they need, not only do we take
care of them for all of the todays of summer,
(07:59):
we're taking care of them for the tomorrows when they
start back to school.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, just from a personal note, I remember when I
used to feed myce on one sandwich, you know, and
now it's like three because he's grown four inches in
the past year. And imagine a child who doesn't have
one sandwich or half a sandwich or a quarter of
a sandwich, you know, and they need three sandwiches to
fill that hollow leg as they've grown four inches in
(08:25):
the past year.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I mean, it's just like the need is so.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Diverse among people at different ages, and to not have
even access to anything, it's just heart wrenching.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Yeah, Or I mean, even if it's not not a
nothing proposition, having the balanced nutrition is really important because
there are I mean, we know fruits and vegetables. Man,
that's expensive because it's not something that you can get
once a month. And if you're getting government benefits, for example,
you may only get those benefits once a month and
when they're gone, they're gone until next month, versus if
(09:00):
you were getting some support from a food bank or partner,
I mean, for a gleaners. We're doing five days a
week distributions across communities, those mobile distributions that you talked about,
and so it gives the opportunity to replenish some of
that more often.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
And so many.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
Kids they love fruits and vegetables. They're telling us over
and over again that they like them. We spent some
time doing a plate waste study over the last couple
of summers, trying to get a sense of, you know,
what a kid's like, how do we make sure that
they eat more of the nutrition. And one of the
biggest learnings, and it should it seems obvious now, is
that kids eat with their eyes. And so what makes
(09:38):
up a colorful plate, fruits, vegetables, different whole grains, lean proteins,
even still having milk with all of the nutrients those
provide and the kids tell us that they like them,
and when they see their peers eating them, they want
to try those things. And so it's about having access
and when you have access, you can make better decisions.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, I would think even just have access to fruits
and vegetables, there's a value that comes to that. You're valuable,
so I give you something healthy, because if you're eating
candy and chips, you know, because that's what's available in
the local you know, seven to eleven or whatever it is,
and which is all brown, by the way. But then
you're given fruits and vegetables, which you know somebody is
(10:21):
giving to you because it's good for you. It actually
probably makes you feel valuable too, like, look, I'm valuable.
They're giving me fruits and vegetables because they know that's
good for me. They care about me.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
And we talk a lot about dignity and respect among
every Gleaner's team member because we believe that every person
is worth investing in. And think about the investment that
you're making in a child with every apple, with every
bread slice, with every piece of broccoli, and.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
She's great with cheese on it.
Speaker 5 (10:52):
So you're making that big investment in again today and tomorrow,
And I mean, yes, me and you talk a lot
about making investments for stronger communities. I mean, what better
place to start than in our youngest generation?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah, yes, mean how'd you get involved?
Speaker 6 (11:12):
No?
Speaker 7 (11:12):
Actually Citizens has been involved even they actually came involved
before I even started with Citizens. And so this was
a very welcome partnership that we have with Gleaners.
Speaker 8 (11:24):
We've been with them for.
Speaker 7 (11:25):
Fifteen years, so we've been helping with hunger free summers.
And my understanding is is that this was a no
brainer for us when we had found out that young
people will leave school and then go hungry because they're
missing two of their valued meals that they used to
get while.
Speaker 8 (11:43):
They were in school. We wanted to be a part
of this.
Speaker 7 (11:46):
We wanted to be a part of the group of
sponsors that sponsors that help to make sure that these
children get a hunger free summer. So this has been
a partnership that has been around for fifteen years, and
I have had the privilege to work with Kristin and
the people at Gleaners for three years now.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
We just love hearing about a very strong corporation that
is not only helping people with their financial finances and
their personal situation, but also then reaching back out to
the community to be involved in something so important. Why
is this beend so important to you personally? When you've
seen what they do, the work that they do, Why
do you love what happens between your organizations?
Speaker 7 (12:25):
You know, it's it's it's really so simple in that
when you find an organization that has the resources and
the strength and the people and the humanity behind them,
it is really easy to partner with them. And even
with the hunger free summers, the kids might there may
not be schools that deliver food during the summer, but
(12:47):
Gleaners is on three sixty five, twenty four seven. They're there,
they're available, they're taking care of not just these young people,
but across the entire state. They're taking care of folks,
and so it made it very easy and for citizens
from our culture, we have an extremely strong culture of
giving back and this has been an easy area for
(13:09):
us to partner in because we can see what happens
when we participate in this program.
Speaker 8 (13:15):
There's real, you know, results that.
Speaker 7 (13:17):
Are available to show how successful this program really is.
We take a look at the fact that you know,
kids really should be enjoying their break during the summer,
not worried every single day where they're going to get
their next meal. They should be out exercising, playing in
the parks, and you know, rejuvenating themselves so that they're
(13:40):
ready to work hard in.
Speaker 8 (13:43):
September when they go back to school.
Speaker 7 (13:45):
And so this has just been something that for Citizens
has been very easy to partner with.
Speaker 8 (13:51):
We love taking care of our communities.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
We feel like when our communities thrive, the businesses around
them thrive. When the businesses around them thrive, you know,
the economy thrives and our people thrive, and so this
is all connected. When we help each other, we actually
do better together for the entire economy well.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And Citizens have us like a kind of a pillar
of fostering starm strong community. So when you speak about that,
that's kind of innate in your DNA at Citizens.
Speaker 8 (14:23):
Yeah, absolutely, we like to think that.
Speaker 7 (14:27):
Not only do we like to contribute from the organizationals perspective,
we also as individuals contribute our time and treasure.
Speaker 8 (14:35):
Any opportunity.
Speaker 7 (14:36):
I've never seen anything like it in my thirty years
of banking, to be honest, any opportunity that we have
to be able to volunteer with Gleaners or other organizations.
Speaker 8 (14:46):
Our people will do it. They're there. They're so easy
to rely on.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
It's literally woven into the fabric of their DNA. They
want to be there, they want to help, and this
particular program, whether it's volunteering to package these meals up,
whether it's a fundraiser, whether it's collecting foods, they're there, they're.
Speaker 8 (15:10):
Giving one hundred percent.
Speaker 7 (15:12):
And truly, it's truly just a proud moment for me
to be a part of the organization.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
And you probably love seeing your teammates feel that way too.
Speaker 7 (15:21):
Yeah, And honestly, we have so much fun together. We
were just recently out at Gleaner's and we were volunteering.
We had a strong showing we actually had more people
who wanted to come than we had space at one
point in time. So we really have a lot of
interest in being able to help. But then we have fun.
We're joking around, we're talking to each other, we're developing
relationships that would not have happened had we not had
(15:44):
the opportunity to volunteer. So setting aside the fact that
we all want to be helpful and we want to give,
and they're very altruistic. This is actually really good for
our teams to be able to connect together, to share experiences,
to talk about how they can help Michigan as a whole,
the people of Michigan and the children who are not
(16:05):
able to find food during the summer.
Speaker 8 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Company culture can be so can be developed through business, obviously,
and it is. But when it's developed through personal investment
in other people that is not related to your business,
that's when it becomes even more meaningful.
Speaker 8 (16:23):
Yeah, you're absolutely absolutely right.
Speaker 7 (16:25):
We become more dedicated to each other, right, and we
learn more about each other.
Speaker 8 (16:30):
And I did.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
I had the privilege of learning more about people at
that event than I normally would have if we were
to meet them at a bank function.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Yeah, it looked.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
I think I accused you all of having too much
fun while you were packing food for us.
Speaker 7 (16:44):
I mean, we're all in we all dress the same.
When we get there, we can't wait for the picture
at the end.
Speaker 6 (16:48):
I mean, it's a whole ambiance, Like you walk into
our warehouse and you just feel the energy emanating from
your team. It's such a joy to have you in
our space helping them unity.
Speaker 8 (17:00):
Well, you guys make it easy.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Well, why don't we get to the nuts of bolts,
nuts and bolts of what is the Hunger Free Summer campaign?
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Like, what is it?
Speaker 4 (17:08):
I'm happy to talk about the campaign itself.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
So what is so great about Hunger Free Summer is
that because of our friends at Citizens and other generous donors, our.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Community has twice the impact.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
And what that means is normally, when you spend a
dollar with Gleaners, we can turn that into three meals,
but because of matching funds from Gleaner, from Citizens and
other donors, that one dollar provides six meals. And so
it is we talk about investments. If you have a
dollar in your pocket, this is the time for it
to have double the value. We have a matching fund
(17:41):
all the way through August thirty first, so you can
help now and you can help again later if you
are so inclined with your investment for us, and it
really makes a big difference for I. Oftentimes people think
of Gleaners for our food drives, and yes, food drives
are important. It's another way to team and we will
(18:01):
always accept food. But one of the great things about
Gleaner's relationships is that we have a whole network of
retailers and farmers and others where we can make a
dollar go a lot farther than you may be able
to if you went to your local grocery store. So
this is really a great opportunity for our community members
(18:22):
to make a really big difference, even if you don't
have a lot.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
What should a family do, Like somebody's listening and they're like,
I actually have a need.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
What should they do if they have a need?
Speaker 5 (18:31):
Yeah, the easiest way for families who have a need
for food to get support is to visit pantrynet dot org.
That's a website where all of Gleaner's partners are listed,
so you can see someone who is near you where
you may be able to get support, and also a
calendar of all of those community mobiles I talked about,
so you can see, all, right, when is Gleaner's going
(18:52):
to be in my area? What does it take for
me to be part of that drive up to get
those thirty five pounds of balanced nutrition? And those mobiles
don't have any requirements. So if you were to go
through pantry Net, you went to a partner. Those partners
may have some requirements for you to enroll with them,
but our mobiles. If you are in need of food,
you let our staff on site know that my household
(19:15):
is in need of food. Here's how many people I
have that live with me, and we will help make
sure that you get support. Now, if you are not
Internet savvy or yearling, I don't I don't want to
be looking on a website for this stuff.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
You can call to one one.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
It's operated by United Way, and then you'll have the
opportunity to communicate with an individual who can kind of
coach you through what might be available, where you might
be able to make some calls and what resources do.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
I love that two one one.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I'm telling you that was such a good invention. Talk
about getting resources immediately.
Speaker 8 (19:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
So, but again, pantrynet dot org easy and you can
find everything you're looking for. The requirements you said, no requirements.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
For the mobiles, no requirements. If you show up on
time at a distribution, We're going to do our best
to make sure we serve everyone who comes.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yeah, that's really some thing I wanted to ask you. Yes,
mean your citizens. This is one of the priorities in
your organization. But you guys do a lot of good
throughout the community. What else do you guys do.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
This is one that we have a special place in
our heart for it. We've been doing it for so
long and it's making sure that we're taking hunger off
the table for these young people. But we also do
a lot as it relates to social justice or we
also do a lot in financial literacy. We also do
a lot in workforce development, and so there's been a
(20:32):
huge focus in tying these areas together as well, so
that you know, our dollars are moving, are being utilized
more effectively, and so when we are looking out for
organizations that we're participating in. We've had a lot of
success in making sure that we're helping our community getting
them educated on financial literacy, but also helping them develop
(20:53):
the tools and the resources necessary in order for them.
Speaker 8 (20:56):
To be financially stable.
Speaker 7 (20:58):
It's one thing to teach them to be financially responsible,
but we need them to be financially stable. And this
is an area that I am extremely excited about because
when we do this, when we invest in our people
in the humanity right here in Michigan, then we're elevating
these people. They're going to be able to contribute back
(21:18):
into the economy by utilizing those skills that they're developing.
They're going to spend, they're going to consume, they're going
to raise families here and then in turn they're going
to help with opportunities like a hunger free Summer, and
they're going to give back.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
Right.
Speaker 7 (21:34):
This is how we elevate everyone. This is how we
break cycles, and so that's extremely important. Everything is very
much connected.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
If you're just joining us today, our guests are Kristen Sokol,
she's the senior director of Advancement, Communications, Marketing, and Media
and PR at Gleaner's Community Food Bank of Southeast Michigan.
And yes, me and jac she is the Michigan Regional
president at Citizens.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Let's talk about some.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Of the stories you've seen happen from Hunger Free Summer.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Are there?
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Is there anything that's happened in the community that really
stands out to you.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
The biggest thing that stands out to me we kind
of alluded to a little earlier, and it is when
you interact with the children who are supported by hunger programs,
having access to maybe some new things that they haven't
been able to try at home. Just the sheer joy
of having a new vegetable you've never tried a new
(22:27):
fruit that you've never tried.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
And with our with our mobiles, we also incorporate nutrition education, so.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
There is opportunities within the food that we provide. Will
provide recipes so families can learn how to use some
of the some of the unknowns perhaps that we might
provide to them. And then our nutrition education team also
runs cooking classes that.
Speaker 8 (22:49):
Are for kids.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Oh wow, so I.
Speaker 5 (22:52):
Mean, you know some of our older young people, maybe
they're spending some time at home and they need to
prepare their own meals for themselves. This gives them an
opportunity to really learn how to safely use the tools
of cooking, how to prepare those foods.
Speaker 4 (23:08):
So that they can be eaten.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
And the kids love that feeling of independence that they've
learned something new and get to try something new.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Well, and Yasmin said, breaking the cycle. And when you
teach a kid like the joy of cooking, if they're
into it, because some people aren't.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Smart people aren't.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
But if a kid's into it, then when they grow
up and they are a cook and they know what
kind of vegetables and fruits to use and the different
things that they're preparing and they don't know how to
do it safely, and they learn that from you. Guys,
actually really are breaking the cycle for the future because
they've learned something of how to do, like how to
make that for their family in the future, or their
nieces or nephews or their neighbor or whoever.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Yeah, that's right, and then there are you know, some
of the foods that we provide our families will come
back to us and say how meaningful that was to them.
I was thinking of a family on the way in
where we had given chicken hold chickens out as part
of our distribut and they wrote back to us to
say how meaningful it was for them because they're the
(24:06):
grandma of the family roasted these chickens and it was
something like.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
That they like just as a memory the family has.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
It was there's a whole bunch of love surrounding that,
but just the fact that the family could get together
and enjoy this thing that they love and they hadn't
been able to afford buying it for themselves, and so
they really use that as a family togetherness opportunity and
what a joy.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Because food is so.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
Central to the memories we create the families that we build,
whether you're born or you make them yourself. Food is
that central point and being able to share that among
others really builds that connective tissue that makes living life
the best it can be, so good?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
What can Now somebody's listening there, like I have to
be involved or I have to donate because what did
you say? You so you told us I'm going back
that a dollar equals six six meals right now as
opposed to three thanks to citizens.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
That's right, all right?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
So somebody wants to get involved, what do they need
to do?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
So you can very easily go to Hungerfreesummer dot org
and you can donate that dollar that will turn into
six meals.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
And then if you go.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
To Hunger Free Summer dot org, you will also see
in our menu the opportunity where you could give time.
So we know that not everybody has a dollar in
their pocket that they can give to us.
Speaker 8 (25:26):
We appreciate that.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
But some people have time in their hearts that they
are more than willing to give and capable of giving.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
And we always need volunteers.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
I mean, you heard about yesmine and her team's experience
working in our warehouse. It really can be a community
building event because so many hands make light work. Yes,
and it is all nice saying it is only because
of those many hands that we can do what we do,
so that we can work so efficiently and effectively because
we have that support of our neighborhood. So again, whether
it's a dollar in your pocket, time in your heart,
(25:55):
you go to Hunger Free Summer dot org. You can
figure out how you can get involved to make a difference.
Speaker 7 (25:59):
Yeah, Like, oh go ahead, Yeah, No, I was just
going to say, like, the one part that I would
strongly encourage folks is, yes, absolutely help us help these
children get through the summer and make sure that they
are ready and able to be educated. And again that's
part of breaking the cycle, part of elevating the community,
(26:20):
and all of us win when our communities are elevated.
But I will also say that in volunteering your time,
like you alluded to before, the connectivity that happens when
we are all giving together is remarkable. If you haven't
had the opportunity, I have been doing something like this
when my children were little, when they were in Girl Guys,
Girl Scouts. Girl Guides is Canadian.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
There are Girl Scouts here in Michigan because we have
Canadians listening to by way.
Speaker 8 (26:48):
Of course, so do them both. And actually they can
come over and volunteer, I think, so bring them on.
Speaker 7 (26:54):
But you know the reality is when I think back,
our neighborhoods used to actually get together and we would
go and we would volunteer.
Speaker 8 (27:01):
Consider bringing a team together.
Speaker 7 (27:03):
We as citizens, we partner with other partners and we
will go out with law firms and CPA firms and
we will volunteer and we will connect together, and we
will share and we will build relationships together. It only
elevates the partnerships when you go out and the ability
to learn more about the folks that you're volunteering with
when you go out as a team. Even our clients
(27:25):
have gone with us.
Speaker 8 (27:26):
I was going to silunteer it.
Speaker 7 (27:27):
So I just there's no box by which you have
to comply with in order to volunteer and help, you know,
be creative. Use this as an opportunity to network, use
this as an opportunity to build friendships, and I guarantee
you you will not regret it.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
So thank you for that.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
That's beautiful and I think that's a great idea with
regard to if you have vendors that you work with,
or you have clients that you work with, Setting a
date and inviting them to participate with you is only
going to enhance your relationships, which creates a better business call.
It all works together, and it all obviously we're helping children,
so it all works together and makes sense to do
(28:08):
with you know, to build those relationships. If somebody's interested
corporate wise, company is interested in doing this, how do.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
They how do they get in touch with you?
Speaker 5 (28:17):
You can go to gc FB dot org like Gleaner's
Community Food Bank dot org.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
And we do have all kinds.
Speaker 5 (28:25):
Of corporate partnerships that you can do, so you absolutely
can establish your generosity financially, but we also support again
corporate volunteerism you want to bring a whole group. We
have fifty position slots open at our South warehouse every
single day that we need to fill and so we
can do that for you. And we also have some
(28:45):
companies that want to raise money on our behalf, so
third party events and fundraisers and all of that information
to get involved is also on our website. So there's
plenty of opportunity for companies and organizations to really make
the most of an opportunity again for Togetherness to meet
their philanthropic goals.
Speaker 7 (29:05):
And I would be remiss if I didn't just emphasize
the ability for the Gleaner's administration to do what they
do extremely well. Is very comforting coming from, you know,
a person who is constantly, you know, looking at checks
and balances and banking and making sure that when we're
dealing with our clients and our colleagues and our customers
(29:25):
across the board, that you know we're helping them do
it well.
Speaker 8 (29:30):
I can tell you right now.
Speaker 7 (29:31):
We look at a lot of corporations, a lot of businesses,
a lot of organizations, and Gleaners does it well.
Speaker 8 (29:36):
That should give you.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
Some level of comfort to know that when you're volunteering
or you're giving your treasure to Gleaners, it is going
to be handled as if it was their own money.
So that's just something that I think is really important
for everyone to understand and to know when they're giving.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yes. Mean, that's awesome, Christian, That's quite an endorsement. The
way she said that, I love that.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
I love it and we didn't even ask her say such,
and oh, yeah, thank.
Speaker 8 (30:01):
You so much. With them for three years. Know that much. Well.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I mean, if the bank says the money's spent well
with Gleaners, it's.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Probably spent pretty darn well.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
Right well, I mean well, and we are proud of
how efficient and effective we are. We do hold a
platinum rating with GuideStar, we do have four star from
Charity Navigator. And so you know, if you give us
your dollars, it is our responsibility.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
We're going to take care of them.
Speaker 5 (30:26):
We're going to make sure they go exactly where they're
supposed to, and that is feeding our community.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
And let's tell everybody once one more time how they
do that.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
You can go to Hungerfresummer dot org and that is
where you will learn how you can turn your one
dollar into six meals for kids, or you can donate
your time.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
All right, Our guests today have been Yasmin Jase, the
Michigan Regional president at Citizens, thank you for your partnership
with Gleaners, and Kristen Solkel, Senior director of Advancement, Communications,
Marketing and Media and PR at Gleaner's Community Food Rank
of Southeastern Michigan. Listen, I hope you have the most
successful hunger free Summer ever. Thank you for everything you
(31:04):
guys are doing.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thank you for your support.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
It's been my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
This has been light up the d a community a
fairs program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like
to get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia
dot com. Here are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
Welcome to Light Up the D focus on what's happening
in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good morning and welcome to Light Up the D. I'm
your host, Colleen Graham. Thanks for joining me today. I
am happy to be joined once again by our friends
at Gleaners and Citizens.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
We have Kristin Solkel.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
She is the senior director of Advancement, Communications, Marketing, Media
and PR at Gleaners and yas me and jac she's
the Michigan Regional president for Citizens.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Thank you guys for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We're really excited to be talking to you about what's
going on over the summer.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
I'm excited to be back.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Thank you, Thank you for having us. Well, let's talk
about it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Let's talk about First of all, let's get everybody in
the know about what Gleaner's role is in the community,
which I mean, you guys are such a substantial organization
that really has tentacle to so many other organizations supporting
our community.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Tell us what Gleaners does fundamentally.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Yeah, I would love to So, Gleaners is your traditional
style food bank and so well, there's a little bit
of confusion about what a food bank does versus say,
a food pantry. So we're kind of the hub of
the wheel that feed out to spokes, which are the pantry,
soup kitchens agencies.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
We are collecting, storing, and.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
Distributing mass quantities of food, millions of pounds of food
every single year. And when you think about it, about
seventy five percent of what we distribute goes through that
partner network that's those soup kitchens, agencies, what have you,
and only about twenty five percent of the food that
we collect we go out direct to guests. So nobody
is coming to Gleaner's headquarters in Detroit and getting food
(01:47):
specifically from us, but they may be going to parking
lots across the community. We serve five counties, Wayne, Oakland, Macombe, Monroe,
and Livingston, and they maybe going to some of those
mobiles where we put about thirty five pounds of food
in your car, drive off and now you have some
balanced nutrition to take home with you.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
And your relationship with these food pran tries and organizations
that distribute is their long lasting and they've been around
for such I mean forever.
Speaker 5 (02:14):
Yeah, I mean some of our partnerships go back years
and years and years. We have about three hundred and
fifty partners right now. Sometimes it goes up when needing
the community goes up, and then you have more organizations
that are working to serve to distribute emergency food. And
sometimes it goes down when you know resources may go
away for those particular pantries. But yes, when you're talking
(02:35):
about three hundred, three hundred and fifty different relationships, every
community we serve we have a partner in. And that's
really important because we know from work that Feeding America
has done, every single county in the United States includes
people facing hunger. So this is not a problem that
lives somewhere else. It may live right next door to
(02:56):
you and it doesn't have a face, doesn't have a
zip code, and so it's important and for us to
really be within the community.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, let's talk about what the situation is with food
and security in Southeast Michigan.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Where are we at today.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
Yeah, in Southeast Michigan alone, we're looking at about six
hundred thousand people who may be at risk of hunger
right now, and when you think about summertime, we are
particularly focused on kids because they're not in school, receiving
school provided meals we don't want in five kids is
facing hunger. And so when you think about kids at
(03:30):
a playground, when you think about where you're seeing kids
hanging out and thinking that one in five of those
kids you're looking at probably didn't have breakfast or maybe
they didn't have enough for lunch, that's just not something
that is conscionable. And so we work extra hard in
the summer to make sure that families and kids get
the balance nutrition they need.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, you said earlier, it's faceless. I mean, the.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Slightest change to your normal can cause food and security,
and it can happen to anybody at any time. A
job or you know, your car breaks down and suddenly
you have to put all your money to your car,
and then you don't have the food, or you don't
you can't pay your rent, and there's so many things
that contributed food insecurity and then and it can happen
(04:12):
to anybody, like you said, your neighbor.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (04:15):
I mean, if there's anything that we have all learned
as a community. When the COVID nineteen pandemic hit, it
was literally overnight where families found themselves in a situation
that they had never been in before, didn't know where
to turn. Maybe you never even needed supplemental food resources before.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
How do I do this? Where do I go?
Speaker 5 (04:35):
And so we know that we need to be nimble
for those circumstances, and it doesn't take a COVID nineteen
pandemic to happen. As you noted, most families really are
living paycheck to paycheck. Whether you are working a lower
wage job or you're very financially stable, most people still
are living directly within those means. And so if those
(04:56):
means change now all of a sudden, you may be
in a circumstance that you didn't expect. So again you
mentioned a couple, but even thinking about if you're a
home where you have one major breadwinner they have a
health episode, now you're right in the same boat.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
And what we tell people is don't wait until.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
You've hit your very last dollar, because when it's a
smaller problem, we can help you more than when it's
a bigger problem. So think about if you are facing
one month where you can't meet all of your financial commitments,
if us helping give you food makes it so that
you can allocate those dollars to other costs that are
not as flexible. Now we've helped you in that one month,
(05:35):
you're back on your feet and you're still doing the
things that you need to do. But if you wait
until you've spent every single last dollar, now it's a
bigger problem to overcome.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, and then you mentioned one in five kids. It
has food and security, particularly over the summer. Talk a
little bit more about that and how that happens.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
Yeah, significantly, About three hundred thousand students in southeastern Michigan
rely on meals at school, and so when summer is out,
they're not getting breakfast or lunch from the school facility.
They could be missing those meals, maybe there isn't enough
food at home to supply those. Even still, if families
have the means, it's still more expensive when kids are
(06:13):
home more. And so the Hunger Free Summer campaign really
takes into account the fact that kids and families have
increased costs over the summer. Not everybody is thinking about
that a summertime.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Right summertime, we're looking at our plans.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
It's fun in the sun and all of those things,
but for some kids it's not. And so for us
to make sure that we're taking care of all of
our kids so that they live a summer ready to
do all of the things that they're capable of doing,
and then being prepared to go back to school in
the fall.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
That's something that you know, we can really take care of.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
And our friends at Citizens have made a priority to
help us with.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, a kid over the summer not having food and
being hungry, it's unconscionable. Any child being hungry, it's unconscionable.
Let's talk about before we get into hungry, hungry, free
summer and also citizens involvement in that.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Why don't we talk.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
A little bit about what it means when a child
doesn't have enough to eat.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
When kids don't get enough to eat, they can lose
some of that health right you need to have.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
You have a growing mind and body.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
You need all of the nutrients, all of the minerals
so that you can continue to grow in the ways
that you need to, to learn in the ways that
you need to. And the kids who don't get enough
to eat over the summer, when they start the next
school year, they can be behind their peers, particularly in
math and reading, by as much as three months, and
so think about when you were a young child you're
(07:38):
going into the next grade. I mean, there's already some
nerves in learning new things, but if you're starting far
behind your peers, that's even more stressful. And when you're stressed,
you can't learn as well. And now it's a perpetual cycle.
So if we can make sure that those kids get
the balance nutrition they need, not only do we take
care of them for all of the todays of summer,
(07:59):
we're taking care of them for the tomorrows when they
start back to school.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, just from a personal note, I remember when I
used to feed myce on one sandwich, you know, and
now it's like three because he's grown four inches in
the past year. And imagine a child who doesn't have
one sandwich or half a sandwich or a quarter of
a sandwich, you know, and they need three sandwiches to
fill that hollow leg as they've grown four inches in
(08:25):
the past year.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I mean, it's just like the need is so.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Diverse among people at different ages, and to not have
even access to anything, it's just heart wrenching.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Yeah, Or I mean, even if it's not not a
nothing proposition, having the balanced nutrition is really important because
there are I mean, we know fruits and vegetables. Man,
that's expensive because it's not something that you can get
once a month. And if you're getting government benefits, for example,
you may only get those benefits once a month and
when they're gone, they're gone until next month, versus if
(09:00):
you were getting some support from a food bank or partner,
I mean, for a gleaners. We're doing five days a
week distributions across communities, those mobile distributions that you talked about,
and so it gives the opportunity to replenish some of
that more often.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
And so many.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
Kids they love fruits and vegetables. They're telling us over
and over again that they like them. We spent some
time doing a plate waste study over the last couple
of summers, trying to get a sense of, you know,
what a kid's like, how do we make sure that
they eat more of the nutrition. And one of the
biggest learnings, and it should it seems obvious now, is
that kids eat with their eyes. And so what makes
(09:38):
up a colorful plate, fruits, vegetables, different whole grains, lean proteins,
even still having milk with all of the nutrients those
provide and the kids tell us that they like them,
and when they see their peers eating them, they want
to try those things. And so it's about having access
and when you have access, you can make better decisions.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah, I would think even just have access to fruits
and vegetables, there's a value that comes to that. You're valuable,
so I give you something healthy, because if you're eating
candy and chips, you know, because that's what's available in
the local you know, seven to eleven or whatever it is,
and which is all brown, by the way. But then
you're given fruits and vegetables, which you know somebody is
(10:21):
giving to you because it's good for you. It actually
probably makes you feel valuable too, like, look, I'm valuable.
They're giving me fruits and vegetables because they know that's
good for me. They care about me.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
And we talk a lot about dignity and respect among
every Gleaner's team member because we believe that every person
is worth investing in. And think about the investment that
you're making in a child with every apple, with every
bread slice, with every piece of broccoli, and.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
She's great with cheese on it.
Speaker 5 (10:52):
So you're making that big investment in again today and tomorrow,
And I mean, yes, me and you talk a lot
about making investments for stronger communities. I mean, what better
place to start than in our youngest generation?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Yeah, yes, mean how'd you get involved?
Speaker 6 (11:12):
No?
Speaker 7 (11:12):
Actually Citizens has been involved even they actually came involved
before I even started with Citizens. And so this was
a very welcome partnership that we have with Gleaners.
Speaker 8 (11:24):
We've been with them for.
Speaker 7 (11:25):
Fifteen years, so we've been helping with hunger free summers.
And my understanding is is that this was a no
brainer for us when we had found out that young
people will leave school and then go hungry because they're
missing two of their valued meals that they used to
get while.
Speaker 8 (11:43):
They were in school. We wanted to be a part
of this.
Speaker 7 (11:46):
We wanted to be a part of the group of
sponsors that sponsors that help to make sure that these
children get a hunger free summer. So this has been
a partnership that has been around for fifteen years, and
I have had the privilege to work with Kristin and
the people at Gleaners for three years now.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
We just love hearing about a very strong corporation that
is not only helping people with their financial finances and
their personal situation, but also then reaching back out to
the community to be involved in something so important. Why
is this beend so important to you personally? When you've
seen what they do, the work that they do, Why
do you love what happens between your organizations?
Speaker 7 (12:25):
You know, it's it's it's really so simple in that
when you find an organization that has the resources and
the strength and the people and the humanity behind them,
it is really easy to partner with them. And even
with the hunger free summers, the kids might there may
not be schools that deliver food during the summer, but
(12:47):
Gleaners is on three sixty five, twenty four seven. They're there,
they're available, they're taking care of not just these young people,
but across the entire state. They're taking care of folks,
and so it made it very easy and for citizens
from our culture, we have an extremely strong culture of
giving back and this has been an easy area for
(13:09):
us to partner in because we can see what happens
when we participate in this program.
Speaker 8 (13:15):
There's real, you know, results that.
Speaker 7 (13:17):
Are available to show how successful this program really is.
We take a look at the fact that you know,
kids really should be enjoying their break during the summer,
not worried every single day where they're going to get
their next meal. They should be out exercising, playing in
the parks, and you know, rejuvenating themselves so that they're
(13:40):
ready to work hard in.
Speaker 8 (13:43):
September when they go back to school.
Speaker 7 (13:45):
And so this has just been something that for Citizens
has been very easy to partner with.
Speaker 8 (13:51):
We love taking care of our communities.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
We feel like when our communities thrive, the businesses around
them thrive. When the businesses around them thrive, you know,
the economy thrives and our people thrive, and so this
is all connected. When we help each other, we actually
do better together for the entire economy well.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
And Citizens have us like a kind of a pillar
of fostering starm strong community. So when you speak about that,
that's kind of innate in your DNA at Citizens.
Speaker 8 (14:23):
Yeah, absolutely, we like to think that.
Speaker 7 (14:27):
Not only do we like to contribute from the organizationals perspective,
we also as individuals contribute our time and treasure.
Speaker 8 (14:35):
Any opportunity.
Speaker 7 (14:36):
I've never seen anything like it in my thirty years
of banking, to be honest, any opportunity that we have
to be able to volunteer with Gleaners or other organizations.
Speaker 8 (14:46):
Our people will do it. They're there. They're so easy
to rely on.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
It's literally woven into the fabric of their DNA. They
want to be there, they want to help, and this
particular program, whether it's volunteering to package these meals up,
whether it's a fundraiser, whether it's collecting foods, they're there, they're.
Speaker 8 (15:10):
Giving one hundred percent.
Speaker 7 (15:12):
And truly, it's truly just a proud moment for me
to be a part of the organization.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
And you probably love seeing your teammates feel that way too.
Speaker 7 (15:21):
Yeah, And honestly, we have so much fun together. We
were just recently out at Gleaner's and we were volunteering.
We had a strong showing we actually had more people
who wanted to come than we had space at one
point in time. So we really have a lot of
interest in being able to help. But then we have fun.
We're joking around, we're talking to each other, we're developing
relationships that would not have happened had we not had
(15:44):
the opportunity to volunteer. So setting aside the fact that
we all want to be helpful and we want to give,
and they're very altruistic. This is actually really good for
our teams to be able to connect together, to share experiences,
to talk about how they can help Michigan as a whole,
the people of Michigan and the children who are not
(16:05):
able to find food during the summer.
Speaker 8 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Company culture can be so can be developed through business, obviously,
and it is. But when it's developed through personal investment
in other people that is not related to your business,
that's when it becomes even more meaningful.
Speaker 8 (16:23):
Yeah, you're absolutely absolutely right.
Speaker 7 (16:25):
We become more dedicated to each other, right, and we
learn more about each other.
Speaker 8 (16:30):
And I did.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
I had the privilege of learning more about people at
that event than I normally would have if we were
to meet them at a bank function.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Yeah, it looked.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
I think I accused you all of having too much
fun while you were packing food for us.
Speaker 7 (16:44):
I mean, we're all in we all dress the same.
When we get there, we can't wait for the picture
at the end.
Speaker 6 (16:48):
I mean, it's a whole ambiance, Like you walk into
our warehouse and you just feel the energy emanating from
your team. It's such a joy to have you in
our space helping them unity.
Speaker 8 (17:00):
Well, you guys make it easy.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Well, why don't we get to the nuts of bolts,
nuts and bolts of what is the Hunger Free Summer campaign?
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Like, what is it?
Speaker 4 (17:08):
I'm happy to talk about the campaign itself.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
So what is so great about Hunger Free Summer is
that because of our friends at Citizens and other generous donors, our.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Community has twice the impact.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
And what that means is normally, when you spend a
dollar with Gleaners, we can turn that into three meals,
but because of matching funds from Gleaner, from Citizens and
other donors, that one dollar provides six meals. And so
it is we talk about investments. If you have a
dollar in your pocket, this is the time for it
to have double the value. We have a matching fund
(17:41):
all the way through August thirty first, so you can
help now and you can help again later if you
are so inclined with your investment for us, and it
really makes a big difference for I. Oftentimes people think
of Gleaners for our food drives, and yes, food drives
are important. It's another way to team and we will
(18:01):
always accept food. But one of the great things about
Gleaner's relationships is that we have a whole network of
retailers and farmers and others where we can make a
dollar go a lot farther than you may be able
to if you went to your local grocery store. So
this is really a great opportunity for our community members
(18:22):
to make a really big difference, even if you don't
have a lot.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
What should a family do, Like somebody's listening and they're like,
I actually have a need.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
What should they do if they have a need?
Speaker 5 (18:31):
Yeah, the easiest way for families who have a need
for food to get support is to visit pantrynet dot org.
That's a website where all of Gleaner's partners are listed,
so you can see someone who is near you where
you may be able to get support, and also a
calendar of all of those community mobiles I talked about,
so you can see, all, right, when is Gleaner's going
(18:52):
to be in my area? What does it take for
me to be part of that drive up to get
those thirty five pounds of balanced nutrition? And those mobiles
don't have any requirements. So if you were to go
through pantry Net, you went to a partner. Those partners
may have some requirements for you to enroll with them,
but our mobiles. If you are in need of food,
you let our staff on site know that my household
(19:15):
is in need of food. Here's how many people I
have that live with me, and we will help make
sure that you get support. Now, if you are not
Internet savvy or yearling, I don't I don't want to
be looking on a website for this stuff.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
You can call to one one.
Speaker 5 (19:27):
It's operated by United Way, and then you'll have the
opportunity to communicate with an individual who can kind of
coach you through what might be available, where you might
be able to make some calls and what resources do.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
I love that two one one.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I'm telling you that was such a good invention. Talk
about getting resources immediately.
Speaker 8 (19:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
So, but again, pantrynet dot org easy and you can
find everything you're looking for. The requirements you said, no requirements.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
For the mobiles, no requirements. If you show up on
time at a distribution, We're going to do our best
to make sure we serve everyone who comes.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yeah, that's really some thing I wanted to ask you. Yes,
mean your citizens. This is one of the priorities in
your organization. But you guys do a lot of good
throughout the community. What else do you guys do.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
This is one that we have a special place in
our heart for it. We've been doing it for so
long and it's making sure that we're taking hunger off
the table for these young people. But we also do
a lot as it relates to social justice or we
also do a lot in financial literacy. We also do
a lot in workforce development, and so there's been a
(20:32):
huge focus in tying these areas together as well, so
that you know, our dollars are moving, are being utilized
more effectively, and so when we are looking out for
organizations that we're participating in. We've had a lot of
success in making sure that we're helping our community getting
them educated on financial literacy, but also helping them develop
(20:53):
the tools and the resources necessary in order for them.
Speaker 8 (20:56):
To be financially stable.
Speaker 7 (20:58):
It's one thing to teach them to be financially responsible,
but we need them to be financially stable. And this
is an area that I am extremely excited about because
when we do this, when we invest in our people
in the humanity right here in Michigan, then we're elevating
these people. They're going to be able to contribute back
(21:18):
into the economy by utilizing those skills that they're developing.
They're going to spend, they're going to consume, they're going
to raise families here and then in turn they're going
to help with opportunities like a hunger free Summer, and
they're going to give back.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
Right.
Speaker 7 (21:34):
This is how we elevate everyone. This is how we
break cycles, and so that's extremely important. Everything is very
much connected.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
If you're just joining us today, our guests are Kristen Sokol,
she's the senior director of Advancement, Communications, Marketing, and Media
and PR at Gleaner's Community Food Bank of Southeast Michigan.
And yes, me and jac she is the Michigan Regional
president at Citizens.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Let's talk about some.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Of the stories you've seen happen from Hunger Free Summer.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Are there?
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Is there anything that's happened in the community that really
stands out to you.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
The biggest thing that stands out to me we kind
of alluded to a little earlier, and it is when
you interact with the children who are supported by hunger programs,
having access to maybe some new things that they haven't
been able to try at home. Just the sheer joy
of having a new vegetable you've never tried a new
(22:27):
fruit that you've never tried.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
And with our with our mobiles, we also incorporate nutrition education, so.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
There is opportunities within the food that we provide. Will
provide recipes so families can learn how to use some
of the some of the unknowns perhaps that we might
provide to them. And then our nutrition education team also
runs cooking classes that.
Speaker 8 (22:49):
Are for kids.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Oh wow, so I.
Speaker 5 (22:52):
Mean, you know some of our older young people, maybe
they're spending some time at home and they need to
prepare their own meals for themselves. This gives them an
opportunity to really learn how to safely use the tools
of cooking, how to prepare those foods.
Speaker 4 (23:08):
So that they can be eaten.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
And the kids love that feeling of independence that they've
learned something new and get to try something new.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Well, and Yasmin said, breaking the cycle. And when you
teach a kid like the joy of cooking, if they're
into it, because some people aren't.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
Smart people aren't.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
But if a kid's into it, then when they grow
up and they are a cook and they know what
kind of vegetables and fruits to use and the different
things that they're preparing and they don't know how to
do it safely, and they learn that from you. Guys,
actually really are breaking the cycle for the future because
they've learned something of how to do, like how to
make that for their family in the future, or their
nieces or nephews or their neighbor or whoever.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Yeah, that's right, and then there are you know, some
of the foods that we provide our families will come
back to us and say how meaningful that was to them.
I was thinking of a family on the way in
where we had given chicken hold chickens out as part
of our distribut and they wrote back to us to
say how meaningful it was for them because they're the
(24:06):
grandma of the family roasted these chickens and it was
something like.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
That they like just as a memory the family has.
Speaker 5 (24:14):
It was there's a whole bunch of love surrounding that,
but just the fact that the family could get together
and enjoy this thing that they love and they hadn't
been able to afford buying it for themselves, and so
they really use that as a family togetherness opportunity and
what a joy.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Because food is so.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
Central to the memories we create the families that we build,
whether you're born or you make them yourself. Food is
that central point and being able to share that among
others really builds that connective tissue that makes living life
the best it can be, so good?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
What can Now somebody's listening there, like I have to
be involved or I have to donate because what did
you say? You so you told us I'm going back
that a dollar equals six six meals right now as
opposed to three thanks to citizens.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
That's right, all right?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
So somebody wants to get involved, what do they need
to do?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
So you can very easily go to Hungerfreesummer dot org
and you can donate that dollar that will turn into
six meals.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
And then if you go.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
To Hunger Free Summer dot org, you will also see
in our menu the opportunity where you could give time.
So we know that not everybody has a dollar in
their pocket that they can give to us.
Speaker 8 (25:26):
We appreciate that.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
But some people have time in their hearts that they
are more than willing to give and capable of giving.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
And we always need volunteers.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
I mean, you heard about yesmine and her team's experience
working in our warehouse. It really can be a community
building event because so many hands make light work. Yes,
and it is all nice saying it is only because
of those many hands that we can do what we do,
so that we can work so efficiently and effectively because
we have that support of our neighborhood. So again, whether
it's a dollar in your pocket, time in your heart,
(25:55):
you go to Hunger Free Summer dot org. You can
figure out how you can get involved to make a difference.
Speaker 7 (25:59):
Yeah, Like, oh go ahead, Yeah, No, I was just
going to say, like, the one part that I would
strongly encourage folks is, yes, absolutely help us help these
children get through the summer and make sure that they
are ready and able to be educated. And again that's
part of breaking the cycle, part of elevating the community,
(26:20):
and all of us win when our communities are elevated.
But I will also say that in volunteering your time,
like you alluded to before, the connectivity that happens when
we are all giving together is remarkable. If you haven't
had the opportunity, I have been doing something like this
when my children were little, when they were in Girl Guys,
Girl Scouts. Girl Guides is Canadian.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
There are Girl Scouts here in Michigan because we have
Canadians listening to by way.
Speaker 8 (26:48):
Of course, so do them both. And actually they can
come over and volunteer, I think, so bring them on.
Speaker 7 (26:54):
But you know the reality is when I think back,
our neighborhoods used to actually get together and we would
go and we would volunteer.
Speaker 8 (27:01):
Consider bringing a team together.
Speaker 7 (27:03):
We as citizens, we partner with other partners and we
will go out with law firms and CPA firms and
we will volunteer and we will connect together, and we
will share and we will build relationships together. It only
elevates the partnerships when you go out and the ability
to learn more about the folks that you're volunteering with
when you go out as a team. Even our clients
(27:25):
have gone with us.
Speaker 8 (27:26):
I was going to silunteer it.
Speaker 7 (27:27):
So I just there's no box by which you have
to comply with in order to volunteer and help, you know,
be creative. Use this as an opportunity to network, use
this as an opportunity to build friendships, and I guarantee
you you will not regret it.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
So thank you for that.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
That's beautiful and I think that's a great idea with
regard to if you have vendors that you work with,
or you have clients that you work with, Setting a
date and inviting them to participate with you is only
going to enhance your relationships, which creates a better business call.
It all works together, and it all obviously we're helping children,
so it all works together and makes sense to do
(28:08):
with you know, to build those relationships. If somebody's interested
corporate wise, company is interested in doing this, how do.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
They how do they get in touch with you?
Speaker 5 (28:17):
You can go to gc FB dot org like Gleaner's
Community Food Bank dot org.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
And we do have all kinds.
Speaker 5 (28:25):
Of corporate partnerships that you can do, so you absolutely
can establish your generosity financially, but we also support again
corporate volunteerism you want to bring a whole group. We
have fifty position slots open at our South warehouse every
single day that we need to fill and so we
can do that for you. And we also have some
(28:45):
companies that want to raise money on our behalf, so
third party events and fundraisers and all of that information
to get involved is also on our website. So there's
plenty of opportunity for companies and organizations to really make
the most of an opportunity again for Togetherness to meet
their philanthropic goals.
Speaker 7 (29:05):
And I would be remiss if I didn't just emphasize
the ability for the Gleaner's administration to do what they
do extremely well. Is very comforting coming from, you know,
a person who is constantly, you know, looking at checks
and balances and banking and making sure that when we're
dealing with our clients and our colleagues and our customers
(29:25):
across the board, that you know we're helping them do
it well.
Speaker 8 (29:30):
I can tell you right now.
Speaker 7 (29:31):
We look at a lot of corporations, a lot of businesses,
a lot of organizations, and Gleaners does it well.
Speaker 8 (29:36):
That should give you.
Speaker 7 (29:37):
Some level of comfort to know that when you're volunteering
or you're giving your treasure to Gleaners, it is going
to be handled as if it was their own money.
So that's just something that I think is really important
for everyone to understand and to know when they're giving.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
Yes. Mean, that's awesome, Christian, That's quite an endorsement. The
way she said that, I love that.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
I love it and we didn't even ask her say such,
and oh, yeah, thank.
Speaker 8 (30:01):
You so much. With them for three years. Know that much. Well.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I mean, if the bank says the money's spent well
with Gleaners, it's.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Probably spent pretty darn well.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
Right well, I mean well, and we are proud of
how efficient and effective we are. We do hold a
platinum rating with GuideStar, we do have four star from
Charity Navigator. And so you know, if you give us
your dollars, it is our responsibility.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
We're going to take care of them.
Speaker 5 (30:26):
We're going to make sure they go exactly where they're
supposed to, and that is feeding our community.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
And let's tell everybody once one more time how they
do that.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
You can go to Hungerfresummer dot org and that is
where you will learn how you can turn your one
dollar into six meals for kids, or you can donate
your time.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
All right, Our guests today have been Yasmin Jase, the
Michigan Regional president at Citizens, thank you for your partnership
with Gleaners, and Kristen Solkel, Senior director of Advancement, Communications,
Marketing and Media and PR at Gleaner's Community Food Rank
of Southeastern Michigan. Listen, I hope you have the most
successful hunger free Summer ever. Thank you for everything you
(31:04):
guys are doing.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
Thank you for your support.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
It's been my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
This has been light up the d a community a
fairs program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like
to get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia
dot com. Here are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
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