Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Lions and Meijer joined forces with Gleaners Community Food Bank to address food insecurity this Thanksgiving. Together, they packed and distributed 5,000 meal kits to local families. This initiative was supported by AAA – The Auto Club Group (ACG), Lineage Foundation for Good, Delta Air Lines, and North Bay Produce. The combined efforts resulted in over 158,000 meals.

Throughout November, volunteers from ACG, Lineage, Delta Air Lines, and Gleaners collaborated with the Detroit Lions players and staff at Gleaners' distribution center in Taylor, Michigan. The meal kits contained ingredients such as green beans, corn, walnuts, fruit, stuffing, potatoes, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy and corn muffin mix. Additionally included were a 3-lb bag of fresh apples from North Bay Produce. Each kit also provided a turkey from Meijer and a 10-lb bag of potatoes from Gleaners.

"As we celebrate our annual tradition of Thanksgiving football in Detroit," stated Sheila Hamp, Principal Owner and Chair of the Detroit Lions. "We continue to recognize that this day is so much more than what happens at Ford Field." She emphasized the importance of addressing food insecurity during the holiday season through partnerships with organizations like Meijer and Gleaners Community Food Bank.

Melissa Conway from Meijer expressed gratitude for the collaboration: "We're grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Detroit Lions and Gleaners Community Food Bank to support families in need this holiday season."

The majority of meal kits were distributed across 10 mobile sites operated by Gleaners in Southeastern Michigan between November 14-23. On November 20th at Detroit Lions Academy, additional packages were given out to students' families by volunteers from the Lions organization along with Lineage Foundation for Good and Delta Air Lines. Meanwhile on November 18th at ACG Dearborn Headquarters another batch comprising approximately one thousand meals was handed out courtesy of both ACG personnel alongside those representing Meijer.

Angela Halverson from Gleaners highlighted how collaborations like these strengthen community bonds: "Thanksgiving is a time for sharing... Collaborations like this one show how much stronger we are when we work as one team."

The upcoming Thanksgiving Day Classic will see the Lions face off against Chicago Bears on November 28th.