Daily Bread, Meijer fight food insecurity in Lenawee County through Simply Give program
ADRIAN — The Daily Bread of Lenawee food kitchen and the Adrian Meijer store are partnering to provide much-needed relief to local families facing food insecurity through the retailer’s customer-driven hunger relief program, Simply Give.
The community continues to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As wage disruptions continue to place extreme pressure on low-income families, food pantries are seeing increased demand in their communities, according to a news release from the organizations.
"The Daily Bread has seen about a 25% uptick in Lenawee County families experiencing food insecurity ever since COVID-19 and now with inflation increasing the overall cost of goods and fuel surcharges being added, it is making food costs the highest I’ve ever seen,” Jim Southard, Daily Bread executive director, said in the release.
Each Meijer Simply Give campaign replenishes the shelves of more than 250 food pantries in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
The program encourages customers to purchase $10 Simply Give donation cards, which are then converted into Meijer food-only gift cards and given to a local food pantry in the store’s community.
The Daily Bread will benefit from donation cards purchased at the Adrian Meijer store now through April 2. In addition, Meijer will double match any cards purchased on March 25. Meijer customers shopping online using Meijer pickup or home delivery also can purchase Simply Give donation cards as an add-on to their orders.
“The events of the last nearly two years have taught us all the importance of community members supporting each other,” Southard said in the release. “We encourage community members to help us feed their neighbors facing food insecurity in Lenawee County this winter season by purchasing a Meijer Simply Give food donation card during their next shopping trip.”
“The cold winter months are a difficult time for people facing food insecurity, and food pantries continue to struggle to keep up with the flood of requests they receive daily, especially given the difficult circumstances many families now face amidst the global pandemic,” Cathy Cooper, senior director of community partnerships and giving for Meijer, said in the release. “The Simply Give program is a way for Meijer customers to partner with us and support the food banks and pantries that feed families in need in their own communities. We certainly couldn’t do it without the support and commitment of our generous customers and team members, who stand beside us in this effort.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Daily Bread, Meijer partnering to fight hunger in Lenawee County
