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The Latest News
The latest news from Food Gatherers!
Rockin'
for the Hungry
This year's event will take place December 5th-9th,
2007!
Weds-Sat 7am-7pm, Sun 10am-3pm
Every year during the busy holiday food drive season, Ann Arbor's
107one FM and Busch’s team up to hold the largest annual
food drive benefiting Food Gatherers. This event has evolved over
the years, but the goal is still the same: collect as much food
as possible to help our neighbors in need.
Rockin' generally takes place the first week in December, outside
- yes, outside! of Busch’s on Main Street. Ann Arbor's 107one
broadcasts live to spread the word about the event.
More than 150 Food Gatherers volunteers help with the event,
handing out shopping lists requesting needed non-perishable food
items, which they load into a large Spartan Truck. Financial donations
are also being accepted, with $300 feeding 10 children for one
month. We need lots of people to donate nonperishables from home,
work, school - where ever! Or you can pick up an extra can or
a cart load of groceries at Busch's. Many in-store specials will
be offered on food items that Food Gatherers needs. For info on
volunteering, please give us a call at 734-761-2796 or email missy@foodgatherers.org
. See you there!
Food Gatherers Community Kitchen
Job Training Program holds graduation ceremony for 4th and 5th
classes on August 24th, 2007
Food Gatherers' Community Kitchen Job Training
Program is part of our organization's overall effort to not merely
alleviate hunger but to end hunger. Students obtain marketable
skills and at the same time they are feeding our neighbors in
need. By targeting young adults who are often recipients of food
assistance, we hope to help them secure gainful employment in
the food industry. We also get to give back to local food donors
who so generously support Food Gatherers - - our training curriculum
reflects the skills and experience that local food service employers
are seeking. It's a win-win situation for our students, our donors
and our community.
On August 24th, 2007, 14 more students
graduated from our program - bringing the total number of graduates
since the program's start to nearly 40! Students have found employment,
gone back to complete school, enrolled in WCC and have even come
back to visit the program and encourage new students in their
culinary endeavors. The Ann Arbor News has published 2 articles
on the program in August 2007. You can read them here:
Recipe
for hope, opportunity
Traning
has power to transform lives
We're very proud of the accomplishments of our graduates. Many
of them have faced daunting challenges, including homelessness,
mental illness, health issues, substance abuse, learning disabilities
and family trauma. If you'd like more information on this program,
please contact us.
Grillin’
for Food Gatherers
Grillin' 2008 is Sunday, June 8th from 3-8pm at
the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
This annual fundraiser picnic helps us raise up
to 20% of our annual operating budget. Each year, on the second
Sunday in June, volunteers and staff transform the Washtenaw Farm
Council Grounds into a Grillin' Paradise. Rain or shine, it's
the best party of the year! Live local music, kid's games and
crafts, a food-inspired silent auction and, of course, delicious
food! Guests are treated to an array of salads from area restaurants,
refreshing beverages, gourmet sausages and grilled chicken, grilled
corn on the cob and veggies, tasty desserts from Zingerman's Bakehouse
and more! Please mark your perpetual calendar for the 2nd Sunday
in June - and come enjoy yourself while helping us fight hunger
where we live.
Click
here for info on last year's Grillin'
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Community
Kitchen
In November, 2003, Food Gatherers opened the Community
Kitchen - a non-profit commercial kitchen which uses rescued and
donated food to create meals for those in need. The kitchen is
located in the Delonis Center, which provides services to homeless
people and those at risk. The intent of
Food Gatherers' Community Kitchen is to use collective resources
more efficiently to feed people in need, and to use food as a
tool to engage and nourish the entire community.
The Community Kitchen is a permanent home for several community
meal programs which had been at multiple sites. Consolidating
these sites has provided guests and volunteers with a more consistent
experience and enables Food Gatherers to be better stewards of
donated food. Before the kitchen existed, we would decline donations
of food that were too large or difficult to prepare: whole sides
of pork ribs, 50lb roasts or buckets of fresh tofu.
Having an actual commercial kitchen has also enriched the job
training/life skills program for special needs students such as
the award winning YMCA Chain of Plenty. Volunteers are capturing
the bounty of the summer harvest and transforming fresh produce
into shelf stable items for use during the winter. Fresh ripe
tomatoes have been converted into hearty sauces, fresh corn into
corn fritters, and hundreds of pounds organic carrots were chopped
and frozen for later use.
We’re very proud of the work being done at the Community
Kitchen. This is just the beginning of more good things to come.
We’d like to thank the dedicated volunteers who have helped
make the Kitchen a success, including religious organizations,
service groups, businesses, student groups and many individuals.
We cannot do this without your support. Please consider becoming
a Community Kitchen Sponsor. If you’d like to learn more
about the Community Kitchen, or take a tour, please contact us!
 
Community Kitchen Job Training Program
Food Gatherers Community Kitchen Job Training Program provides
low-income and at-risk youth (ages 17-22) with instruction in
basic culinary arts, food safety and sanitation, work ethics and
life skills. During their training, students produce meals for
the community while learning valuable skills. Providing young
adults with job training at the beginning of their independent
years will build a firm foundation for future success and self-sufficiency,
increasing prospects for higher-paying jobs while decreasing the
chances of entering the shelter system or other emergency services.
Food Gatherers is currently partners with youth programs, including
Ozone House, Community Action Network II, Avalon Housing, the
Department of Human Services and hte Shelter Association of Washtenaw
County. Ozone house partners with Food Gatherers to provide job
skills training, including placement and retention programs that
assist our staff in securing long-term and successful employment
for the students. Food Gatherers has also partnered with local
food businesses to offer employment opportunities, and with Washtenaw
Community College, which offers financial aid in their open-enrollment
Culinary Arts Program for qualified students who wish to pursue
a Culinary Degree.
Food Gatherers is building upon the success of the first five
graduating classes and will hold the next training sessions in
Spring/Summer 2008. Food production and meal service at the Community
Kitchen continues throughout the year with the help of volunteers.
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions
about the Community Kitchen.
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Make
Way for Carrot Way!
Food Gatherers’ new facility on Carrot Way (right next to
where our old building was located) is designed to accommodate
the bounty of food and volunteer support that this community regularly
donates. It is 16,550 square feet (more than double the size of
the recycled slaughterhouse that we previously operated from since
1992) and is designed specifically for food rescue, food banking
and food distribution. Our old building was demolished to make
room for low-income housing units built by Avalon
Housing, and the whole development is known as Carrot Way.
We have been distributing food from our new building since November
2003.
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Plant a Row for
the Hungry
Growing Hope
and Food Gatherers have begun their 3rd annual campaign to help
gardeners lend a hand in alleviating hunger in our community.
Nationally sponsored by the Garden
Writers Association, Plant-A-Row (PAR) encourages gardeners
to grow a little extra to donate to food assistance agencies.
Here's how you can be a part:
1. Pledge now to Plant-A-Row. Encourage your friends, neighbors
and congregations to do the same! If you don't have space to
garden, contact Project
Grow Community Gardens for information on available garden
plots.
2. Get your hands in the soil and start growing...
3. Drop off your donations and help alleviate hunger in our
community! Donations are welcome at Food Gatherers' warehouse
and the English Gardens store on Maple Road in Ann Arbor.
Donations of all fruits, veggies and herbs are welcome. Items
that travel well, such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, peppers,
onions, beets, potatoes, apples and pears are encouraged.
For more information, contact megan@foodgatherers.org.
Plant a Row for
the Hungry is a success at Huron Valley Women's Center!
For the past few years, Food Gatherers has been receiving
generous donations of vegetables and other produce from local
gardeners through The Garden Writers Association’s “Plant
a Row for the Hungry” program. In 2005, donations of
produce shot way up due to a partnership with the Huron Valley
Women’s Correctional Facility (HVC). Ellen Baron teaches
an intensive Horticulture class for women interested in gardening
and agriculture, with 20-30 students each session. The women
work year-round to learn the basics and beyond—such
as greenhouse skills, scientific names and properties of various
plants and planting and tending their own individual garden
beds during the growing season. Their skills are also put
to good use in the community garden. Despite their incarceration,
these enthusiastic gardeners wanted to give back to the community
by donating their bounty to the hungry. Everything harvested
from the community garden is donated, and each woman donates
at least part of her individual harvest, as well. These healthy
items are happily accepted by our recipient agencies, who
enjoy fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and, of course,
our favorite: CARROTS! With about a half-acre to work with
and a challenging growing season, the women are able to donate
an impressive 7,000-8,000 pounds of fresh produce each year!
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