Listening to the news and wondering how you can help your community without stepping outside? Below are sources where you can contribute monetary donations that will help support local food banks and protect the health of Ann Arbor and support the most vulnerable, including individuals, families, and local businesses.
United Way of Washtenaw County
United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC) announced a COVID-19 Community Relief Fund had been established on 3/10/20 to help meet emerging and critical needs in the community related the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund has grown to more than $150,000 with the support of the Song Family Foundation, individual donors and businesses.
“The Song Family Foundation is proud to invest in the United Way COVID-19 Community Relief Fund and we are encouraging others to join this necessary collaboration to ensure our neighbors, friends and nonprofit community have the resources they need moving forward.,” shared Linh Song, co-founder of the Song Family Foundation.
Nonprofit agencies anticipate a surge in neighborhood needs, unchartered service requests and increased staff capacity needs and operating reserve needs. 100% of the funds raised will be used to help non-profits meet the needs of the vulnerable populations including those needing food, children, families facing loss of income due to business closures, health issues and those experiencing housing crisis.
“We encourage employees making Community Relief Fund gifts to see if it qualifies under their company’s matching gift programs.,” shared Pam Smith, President and CEO of UWWC. “Our systems and procedures are well tested and can expedite these funds quickly.”
For almost a century the United Way of Washtenaw County has been here for our community. Our agency will remain open to meet the needs of our County, to support our nonprofit partners and to share information about how you can help!
IF you need HELP
Call 2-1-1 Our 24/7 hotline that can connect you to services in our community
IF you want to know more about the virus
Washtenaw County Public Health Department is the designated source for information on the Coronavirus, visit the dedicated website They update their website regularly as the receive new information.
IF you want to GIVE
Visit uwgive.org to donate to the Community COIVD-19 Relief Fund. 100% of your gift will be used in our community to meet the emerging and critical needs in our community by our non-profit partners.
IF you want to ADVOCATE
Share the official messages regarding public health and safety to your friends and family.
IF you want to VOLUNTEER
Visit VOLUNTEERWASHTENAW.org Help is needed in the community and there is a special Washtenaw County Coronavirus Volunteer response team – Medical and Non-medical people needed.
IF you need Food
For a full list of food distribution options, please Click Here
Food Gatherers of Washtenaw County
Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community.
Established 1988, Michigan’s first food rescue program
Food Gatherers is not only Michigan’s first food rescue program, but the first program of its kind to be founded by a for-profit business, Zingerman’s Delicatessen.
A few days before Thanksgiving in 1988, Food Gatherers volunteers borrowed a van and collected 50 pounds of vegetables, bread, milk, and eggs from half a dozen grocery stores and restaurants. The food was quickly re-distributed to hot meal programs in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
Today, Food Gatherers is an independent 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization governed by a board of directors and operated by 30 staff people and 7,500 volunteers. In Fiscal Year 2018, we distributed 6.3 million pounds of food, the equivalent of 5.2 million meals, to our neighbors in need.
Food Gatherers is open. During the coronavirus – as with other emergencies – Food Gatherers will continue its operations and distribute food to people in the communities we serve. Our services may be expanded and/or modified to best address our community’s needs as the public health situation develops, but we will continue providing food. In everything we do, Food Gatherers is following infection control practices and CDC guidelines to avoid service contamination.
We are working closely with local school districts to address the needs of students who no longer have access to school meals and to develop alternative delivery models to ensure children are being fed.
We are grateful for the support and guidance of the Washtenaw County Health Department and are working with them to make sure that our most vulnerable neighbors get food. We are also grateful to our partner pantries that are adapting to the situation in order to remain open and serve people safely.
What to do if you need food: If you need food, we have a network of food pantries and meal programs that are ready to help, including the Community Kitchen in Ann Arbor. Please visit www.foodgatherers.org/needfood to access an up to date list of food distribution and meal program sites or call Food Gatherers at 734-761-2796.
School Meals info by district. Please note that meals are available for any child under 18 (or up to 26 if enrolled in special education programming), not just those eligible for Free or Reduced-price meals. For school meal sites for districts across Michigan, visit https://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/
Ann Arbor Public Schools – distributing meals to take home at multiple locations. Information on the school website https://www.a2schools.org/Page/15641
Dexter Community Schools – distributing meals to take home. Information on website https://www.dexterschools.org/
Chelsea School District – distributing meals to take home. Information on website https://www.chelsea.k12.mi.us/updates/frequently-asked-questions
Lincoln Consolidated Schools – distributing meals to take home. Information on website https://www.lincolnk12.org
Manchester Community Schools – distributing meals to take home. Information on website https://www.manchesterschools.us/
Milan Area Schools – distributing meals to take home. Information on website https://www.milanareaschools.org/mas
Saline Area Schools – distributing meals to take home. Information on website https://www.salineschools.org
Van Buren Public Schools – distributing meals to take home. Information on website coming soon. https://www.vanburenschools.net
Whitmore Lake Schools – distributing meals to take home from Elementary School. Information on website coming soon. https://www.wlps.net/
Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) – distributing meals to take home. Information on website . https://www.ycschools.us/media–news-articles/coronavirus-covid-19/
How to help: We are touched by our community’s concern and desire to provide food to families and individuals affected by the school closings and quarantines. Here’s what you can do:
Donate Funds: Food Gatherers will continuously assess the emergency food needs in our community. In this unprecedented situation, financial donations provide Food Gatherers the most flexibility to best respond to these emerging needs. To make a donation now visit www.foodgatherers.org/donate or call 734-761-2796.
Donate Food: We are accepting food donations during our regularly scheduled hours. For more information visit www.foodgatherers.org/givefood
Donate Lunches with Love: These pre-packed meal bags are a great way to provide ready-to-eat food to our community. To learn more, www.foodgatherers.org/lunches
Volunteer: Food Gatherers relies on volunteers to support our operations. For the safety of staff and volunteers, we are implementing additional food safety and sanitary measures in our warehouse and Community Kitchen. To learn more about our volunteer needs, visit www.foodgatherers.org/volunteer.
Know someone looking for food: Please refer them to our website, www.foodgatherers.org/needfood or have them call us at 734-761-2796 for up to date information on food available in the community.
Gleaners Community Food Bank
Before current realities of the coronavirus pandemic, one in five families in Michigan struggled with hunger. With state-mandated school and business closures, many more people will be affected—today and well into the future.
Gleaners is actively expanding our operations in order to get more food into the hands of people in need, as safely and efficiently as possible. Visit our community distribution page for detailed information and location maps.
Feeding Our Kids: With schools closed, more than 300,000 children in Michigan who rely on free and reduce-price school meals may be going hungry. Together with our partners, Gleaners will continue to offer our School Food Mobiles, as well as additional mobile drive-up food distributions in response to the current need. Find site information on our distribution page.
Also, an extensive list of food related distribution sites around the state is being updated on Michigan Department of Education’s map.
Community Need: Gleaners is coordinating with agency partners to provide food boxes for community members who need support due to temporary workplace displacement caused by precautionary coronavirus closures. Details will be announced on gcfb.org as soon as possible.
How You Can Help: To support these increased efforts, Gleaners needs your help. Community members are encouraged to donate what they can in this increased time of need or host a virtual food drive.
We are grateful to our supporters, our partners and our staff for their help during this unprecedented time. We will continue to keep you informed via email, social media and our website. Thank you for your support and concern for our neighbors.
Bountiful Harvest
290 East Grand River, Brighton, MI 48116 (Located behind the Brighton Presbyterian Church)
THURSDAY
Doors open at 5:30pm
6:00pm – 8:00pm
GROCERY & CLOTHES
SHOPPING ONLY
NO MEAL IS SERVED ON THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Doors open at 3:00pm
3:30pm – 5:30pm
FULL COURSE DINNER (Temporarily TO GO)
The menu changes weekly
4:00pm – 6:00pm: SHOPPING
SATURDAY
Doors open at 7:30am
8:00am – 11:00am
FULL BREAKFAST (Temporarily TO GO)
9:00am – 11:00am
CRAFTS FOR CHILDREN
8:00am – 12:00pm: SHOPPING
Locally and internationally, Bountiful Harvest Inc. is a vocal advocate for the hungry and displaced. We do what is needed in order to help children and families in need. No need is too small and no voice is too quiet to be heard. We will devote the time and energy necessary to educate, advocate, and feed.
BOUNTIFUL HARVEST is still open and helping people in need during these trying times. This is what we are doing to help:
SUPPLYING BREAKFAST & LUNCH FOR CHILDREN
- For children who are on the “Free & Reduced Lunch Program”
- Please call 810-360-0271 before 5:00pm for pick-up tomorrow
- If you need delivery – please call and we will try to accommodate
- Each pick-up will include a hot meal for that day
- Once signed up – you may come weekly
GROCERY PICK-UP SERVICE
If you are concerned about your safety during grocery shopping – pick-up service is available.
- During regular shopping hours – Pull-up in front of the pantry
- Call 810-360-0271 or knock on the door and let us know you are there
- We will bring you a list of groceries available to choose from
- We will then package them and bring them to your car
DELIVERY SERVICE
We offer delivery service of groceries to Veterans, Seniors and Disabled
SOCIAL SPACING IS BEING PRACTICED DURING SHOPPING
Please be patient with our volunteers as we move people along
Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry
Approximately 11% of our neighbors in Lenawee County qualify for assistance in obtaining the food they need. Fishes & Loaves is our response to the community’s need and Christ’s call to feed the hungry. This ministry’s goal is to assist in the alleviation of hunger in our neighborhood by soliciting, collecting, packaging, and even growing food and then distributing it to our neighbors who are in need. To that end, we distribute over 7,500 pounds of food to nearly 500 people per month.
ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING COVID-19 AND GROUP VOLUNTEERING
As we continue to navigate through the unique challenges posed by COVID-19, Neighbors of Hope would like to inform our community with an update on our current situation. The safety and health of our community is our number one priority.
In order to ensure the safety of our residents, volunteers, and staff, we will be temporarily canceling our “Growing Hope Services.” The evening volunteer services at our Men’s Ministry and Women & Children’s Ministry Center, as well as all other internal activities requiring large groups of volunteers, will be terminated until March 31st.
Because this situation is complex and evolving rapidly, please be advised that this date may change. We will be sure to inform you and update you as time goes on.
Individual volunteers should plan to continue with their duties, assuming they are healthy and comfortable serving in their current capacity. This is a precautionary decision and part of a general response plan we are enacting consistent with the current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations.
Neighbors of Hope remain dedicated to helping those in need however we can and will continue to bring hope to the homeless and hungry in Lenawee County. We are here to answer any questions you may have and will be sure to provide any updates as we continue to further assess.
Local Childcare Services
The following list was based on those childcares that responded to inquiries on March 16-17. Please contact the child care directly to assure there are openings.
