WARREN, Mich. – Gleaners Community Food Bank, a nonprofit focused on addressing hunger in Metro Detroit, is about to break ground on a new facility in Macomb County.
In the summer of 2024, the nonprofit will begin building an emergency food services building that will offer a “retail-inspired experience,” officials announced Tuesday. Located on 8 Mile Road, the facility -- named Fresh! by Gleaners -- will also offer pre-order curbside pickup and drive-thru mobile distributions to people in need of food.
The new space is being designed to benefit people in need in the surrounding Warren/Detroit area. About 30% of people living within a three-mile radius of the new site were living in poverty as of 2021, officials reported.
“We’ve piloted the fundamentals of the Fresh! concept at three locations over the past five years, confirming its appeal,” Julie Beamer, Gleaners COO, said in part. “This location, chosen based on an assessment of residential population density and food insecurity rates, will primarily serve the needs of the surrounding Warren and Detroit community.”
Residents in need of fresh and nutritious food will be able to visit the facility and have access to fresh produce, dairy and eggs. Gleaners already helps distribute food to people in need at food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and distribution events across Metro Detroit.
Click here to see a map of Gleaners food pantries in Southeast Michigan and their operating hours. Note: Some locations may require appointments.
Officials say the need for food in Metro Detroit has increased by 30% within the last year, partly due to the end of pandemic-era assistance programs. Gleaners’ new facility is meant to help address that need in more modern and accessible way by providing several pickup options and hours for residents.
Fresh! by Gleaners is currently expected to open in early 2025.