Saturday is USPS/Gleaners donation day at the mailbox

(WJBK) - Thanks to a partnership between Gleaners and postal workers, all you have to do to donate is put food next to the mailbox this Saturday to help feed the hungry. 

But we also found out today, they do more than just donations - they're helping seniors with pop-up markets.
 
It's a place for soup, cereal, milk, meat and community. It's called my Neighborhood Mobile Grocery and its part of a Gleaners program started two years ago.  
 
"Trying to be as convenient as possible for those folks who shop with us to help stretch their budget further. One of the cool results of this too is that this becomes a social experience for folks coming down," said Mollie Grierson.

Think of it like a pop up grocery store once a week. They order what they want, Gleaners Food Bank and local vendors gather the food with an arsenal of volunteers. By 2 p.m., seniors get their groceries but the prices are slashed from what they would pay at the store.  

"It's very convenient, the prices are great. They don't compare to the shopping market because the shopping market is up there," Regina Calhoun said.

The food isn't donated but bought by Gleaners. It's another side to the food bank you may not have known about. 

As for the food donations, 1.3 million pounds of food were gathered in southeast Michigan during last year's drive. That’s a record they hope to beat this year 

Dave Zarek is on a committee for Gleaners and works for the postal service.  

"This funds the whole summer program for kids that are out of school. It's imperative that everybody gets together and put some cans out there. If you can't afford a bag, just put one can (out)," he said.