As we continue to accelerate our growth in Northeast Ohio, our impact on its surrounding communities deepens. This impact includes our longtime partnership with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB), one of the many organizations we work with to ensure Cleveland-area residents live happy, healthy lives.
During the holiday season, what’s intended to be a special time filled with warmth, joy and the comfort of shared meals, isn’t always the case for everyone. In fact, many communities rely on food banks this time of year and the GCFB sees the need firsthand, serving an average of 400,000+ households annually.
"Coming together to volunteer for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank has allowed our team to serve the communities we work in and care about,” said Marco Gomez, the Meijer West Cleveland Market Director and GCFB volunteer. “Our volunteer teams left feeling very grateful for the opportunity to spend time in the community and see smiles on the faces of those who were receiving food.”
As a loyal partner, our local team members recently volunteered and donated funds at various GCFB events during the holiday season, to help those communities in need. The donations went toward the organization’s Children’s Nutrition Initiative, such as its Backpacks for Kids and Kids Café programs, and its highly demanded Muni Lot food distributions, to ensure the local community had fresh, nutritious food options throughout the holiday season.
Muni Lot Impact
The food distributions took place at downtown Cleveland’s Muni Lot, a popular Cleveland Browns tailgate spot on the weekends that transformed into a drive-thru. Amid its long drive-thru lines, Meijer team members became friendly faces, connecting with residents and supplying nonperishable items, fresh produce and meat so they, too, could enjoy this special time of year.
In November, our team members served more than 10,000 individuals with more than 128,000 pounds of food. The December event was especially meaningful – taking place just four days before Christmas, it was a time of giving and grateful hearts. In addition to 25 team member volunteers who loaded cars with bags of groceries, Meijer provided 3,500 hams so that everyone could take one home to enjoy. In all, approximately 3,500 Greater Cleveland households were provided with 136,000 pounds of food.
“We are beyond grateful for Meijer and its many volunteers to provide hams to our neighbors this holiday season,” said Lisa Sands, Senior Manager of Corporate Relations at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. “Getting much-needed nutritious food to those in need who may otherwise have to go without is key to our mission in making sure everyone has the nutritious meals they need every day. We couldn’t do it without the help of so many amazing supporters in our community, including Meijer. Thank you!”
BackPack for Kids Program
In addition to supporting the Muni Lot food distributions, Meijer team members also supported the GCFB’s BackPack for Kids Program , which partners with schools, libraries, and after-school programs to provide children with food to take home and sustain them over the weekend when food access might be limited. In addition to providing a monetary donation that purchased 707 cases of shelf-stable food, seven team members packed more than 2,700 lunches for area children.
Ongoing Commitment
In its ongoing mission, the GCFB works to ensure everyone has the nutritious food they need every day. Last year alone, it supported 1,000 partner programs and nearly gave 52 million pounds of food through its six-county service area. Since 2019, we’ve been a proud partner of the GCFB and are committed to supporting its mission in 2024 and beyond.