Food Gatherers

Food Gatherers commits to strategic goals in order to advance food security in our community. Here are the four strategic priorities of our strategic plan (2016-2025):

1. Meet the Need: We improve access to nutritious food for all food insecure individuals in Washtenaw County. We secure and use reliable information to target our resources for more impact in areas of unmet need.

2. Engage the Community: We help people learn about hunger and its solutions; we make it easy for anyone to be involved in fighting hunger in our community.

3. Steward Resources: We generate, secure and manage resources effectively to meet the food security and nutrition needs of our community.

4. Foster Mission-Driven Teams: We build and use the knowledge, skills and commitment of people within our food bank team. The food bank team includes staff, board, volunteers, partner programs and our network.

1. Meet the Need
- Ensure that people in need have increased access to quality, nutritious food.
- Lead partners to ensure that the food assistance “safety net" is well supported for all in need.
- Establish a progressive, effective service(s) for an underserved area or population.

2. Engage the Community
- Ensure that our community is aware of the reality of hunger and the transformational impact of Food Gatherers.
- Lead a powerful network that inspires individuals, organizations, and community leaders to take action in the fight against hunger.
- Develop and maintain strategic partnerships to help identify and serve people in need.

3. Steward Resources
- Radically increase support from individuals, private, and public partners in the fight against hunger and its root causes.
- Maximize community impact through well-informed, strategic management of resources.

4. Foster Mission-Driven Teams
- Be a nationally recognized model for an engaged and highly effective organization and network.

The food bank and food rescue program serving anyone in need in Washtenaw County, MI, Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community. We rescue local food and leverage state and national food resources for hunger relief. We create and sustain innovative new food programs in response to emerging needs. We recognize that hunger will not be solved through the provision of food alone so we advocate for policies and system changes to create an equitable food system. As the lead agency for hunger relief, in 2022 Food Gatherers distributed 7.8 million pounds of food to a network of 170 partner programs. Food Gatherers also operates several large direct service programs (The Community Kitchen, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Healthy School Pantry Program) to address gaps in services.

Food Gatherers serves an estimated 55,000 individuals through our network of partner agencies and direct service programs each year. To accomplish our mission, Food Gatherers employs 35 staff members and engages more than 7,000 volunteers annually (*pre-COVID number). Food Gatherers is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, and the Food Bank Council of Michigan, the organization committed to the alleviation of hunger in our state.

Food Gatherers consistently receives high ratings for our commitment to sound fiscal management, accountability and transparency.

As the lead agency for hunger relief in Washtenaw County, we are most proud of the work that has been completed toward the strategic priorities identified in our previous Food Security Plan. Here are a few of our accomplishments:
--In Fiscal Year 2021, we distributed a record 9 million pounds of food, 60% of which was produce or protein. We have responded to the pandemic crisis by remaining open and responding to increased demand from our community partners.
--In 2008, only 20% of our emergency food pantries offered fresh produce. Now 60% of our emergency food pantries provide fresh produce to those seeking assistance.
--From 2009-2013, Food Gatherers procured 330,504 pounds of produce from agricultural initiatives and partnerships such as: Food Gatherers Gathering Farm, Faith and Food, Plant a Row for the Hungry, and Edible Avalon.
--Since 2009, we've distributed more than $1 million in capacity-building, operating grants and food credits to our network of partner programs so they can order items from our food bank inventory, including meat, dairy items, and produce.
--We've provided customized food safety training and civil rights training to all our agencies.
--With funding from the Food Bank Council of Michigan and the United Way, we've trained 25 partner agencies to help eligible people apply for the Food Assistance Program (food stamps/SNAP) online. In 2013, individuals received $575,000 in benefits that were spent (reinvested) in our community.
--New monthly produce distributions during the school year get more fresh healthy food to eligible families in need at Ann Arbor Preschool, Beatty Early Learning, Brick Elementary School, Estabrook Elementary School, and Adams STEM Elementary School.
--Since 2010, our partners have helped more than 700 households apply for Food Assistance Program (food stamps/SNAP). In 2013, $573,000 in benefits were received and spent in our community as a direct result of these efforts.
--In partnership with Washtenaw Coordinated Funders, Food Gatherers and Washtenaw Health Plan planned and convened safety net health and hunger agencies throughout the year to develop and continually refine measurable community-level outcomes representing the highest priority focus areas within hunger relief and nutrition.
--Food Gatherers joined forces with Feeding America and the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) to inform our constituents of cuts to SNAP and TEFAP as part of the 2014 Farm Bill. We strongly opposed the bill, signed a national petition and encouraged our supporters to contact their local representatives.