Forgotten Harvest is expanding its fight against hunger in Metro Detroit, and they are getting help from Amazon to do it.
Thanks to a new partnership, Amazon Flex drivers are going to help deliver food boxes from Forgotten Harvest to people who are homebound for free.
Forgotten Harvest volunteers pack boxes with 20 pounds worth of nonperishable food at the warehouse in Oak Park. Amazon Flex drivers pick them up from there and deliver them to people across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.
Gerald Patterson is one of those drivers. He believed the opportunity was the perfect fit for him. He’s worked for Amazon for the last six months and has worked with Forgotten Harvest through his church’s food outreach program.
“It was great putting the two together because I’m a retiree, and this gives me something to do, and I like helping people,” said Patterson.
He only delivers two to three times a week, but every route is full of joy.
“Oh, they get excited,” Patterson said. “A lot of the people, especially the seniors, can’t get out, and so to be able to deliver to their door and to have some food on a consistent basis really helps a lot.”
Forgotten Harvest’s CEO, Adrian Lewis, said this pilot program was something the organization has always wanted to do.
“This program started in October, but the identified need has been out there for quite some time, and finding the right partner to help us with that need has come at a tremendously great time,” said Lewis.
It’s meeting the needs of people they couldn’t reach with the food pantries they supply. Now, two months in, drivers have delivered to 105 households per week across Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb counties.
“It’s a gratifying feeling to know that we are expanding our reach,” Lewis said. “That we are able to meet people where they are based on whatever their restrictions may be.”
Amazon Flex drivers are still getting paid as if they were delivering packages. Amazon spokesperson Austin Stowe refers to it as a win-win.
“Since 2020, we’ve actually delivered more than 30 million (food) packages to people all across the U.S. and partnered with 40 different organizations nationwide, so this program continues to expand, and we’re really excited to see that happen,” said Stowe.
Amazon has a similar partnership with Lighthouse Emergency Services in Pontiac that started in December 2021.
Click here for a Forgotten Harvest home delivery application.