STIIIZY FEEDS VETERANS & FAMILIES IN DETROIT FOR THANKSGIVING
November is the month to give back and give thanks. It is also the month we celebrate all who have served our country on Veterans Day.
On November 14, our STIIIZY social impact team combined both holidays and traveled to Detroit, Michigan to partner with Wayne County Commissioner Monique McCormick to give out turkeys to local veterans.
Wayne County, which includes Detroit, is currently home to over 77,000 veterans. A well-known supporter of military veterans and a U.S. Army veteran herself, McCormick also serves as Chair of the Committee on Veteran Affairs in Wayne County.
Veterans who registered with McCormick's office for this event were greeted by cheerful volunteers who loaded their cars with a whole turkey and a box full of side dishes. While Veterans Day was on November 11, the volunteers wanted to ensure that the veterans felt honored and appreciated on Thanksgiving Day.
After a successful turkey distribution for veterans, our Social Impact team was not done giving back to the city of Detroit.
On November 15, 20 volunteers from various STIIIZY Michigan departments - some traveling as far as two and half hours away in Kalamazoo - joined our Social Impact team to help give back to the community and end food insecurity in Detroit. This is a major issue in a city where 69% of households reportedly suffer from food insecurity.
In a joint partnership with the Metro-Detroit based food relief organization Forgotten Harvest, we were able to serve over 200 families through a pop-up style pantry providing Detroit residents with fresh produce, various pantry staples, and desserts!
Forgotten Harvest delivers 144,000 pounds of surplus food per day to local charities five days a week, providing families in need with fresh and nutritious food free of charge. They also deliver to 230 emergency pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and mobile pantries. Over the past year, Forgotten Harvest has redistributed over 42,000,000 pounds of food in the Detroit area and has received over 55,000 hours of volunteer services.
To learn more and get involved with Forgotten Harvest visit www.forgottenharvest.com.
