Gleaners Food Bank need help after donations drop 700K pounds

DETROIT - The shelves at Gleaners are sparse - it's not what you see but what you don't see, that's troubling. 

FOX 2: "How much less food is sitting here than this time last year?"

"Just in June alone we are dealing with 700,000 pounds of donated food less than where we were a year ago today," said Ryan Hoyle, Gleaners. 

It is important that donations come in, just ask the men and women who come to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.  The Capuchins buy discounted food from Gleaners. The need is great. 

"Everybody doesn't have sufficient means to be fed after paying your bills and medication and other expenses," said David Cleveland who relies on food donations. "You just run out of money. So people could really use a good meal every day."  

"It's important because we don't rely on any government assistance here at all of our soup kitchens and all of our programs," said Brother Jerry johnson, Capuchin Soup Kitchen. "It is strictly off of donations of regular folks in the community and over this part of Southeast Michigan."

One of the reasons donations have taken a dive is perception. People hear good news of an economy that's healthy, but what they don't realize is that it doesn't trickle down to everyone.  

"I know the economy is doing great, Detroit's revitalization is doing great and there are positive headlines every day and we love it," said Hoyle. "But there are still residents in our community that are suffering and need our help."

The agriculture department has dedicated a lot of food donations to disaster zones. The need for you and I to step up now, is important.  

Kids, not just in Detroit but in West bloomfield, Waterford, Farmington -all over metro Detroit, are counting on us.

"There are 300,000 students who receive free and reduced price lunches," Hoyle said. "They're facing hungry during the summer months when they're not able to get those meals in school so we're recognizing for everyone who is doing better there are still people or being left behind and I need support from Gleaners "

Good news shouldn't fill us up with so much optimism, our neighbors are left hungry. The shelves shouldn't ever be bare.   You can change that.  

"We need people to remember that people in their own backyard needs support," Hoyle said. "So donating two or an organization like cleaners we can get out there and make one dollar into six meals.