Gleaners: Making Sure Nobody in Livingston County Has to Choose Between Gas and Groceries | Ep #201

Food insecurity exists in Livingston County. It is more common than most people realize, and it looks nothing like what most people imagine. Don and Angela welcome back Katie Choat, Senior Director of Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeast Michigan, for her second appearance on the show. Katie was last on in Episode 88 when she was just finding her footing in the role and the difference between then and now is remarkable. The passion is undeniable. In this conversation, Katie walks through everything Gleaners does for Livingston County, from their client choice pantry where guests shop like a grocery store, to the Wednesday fresh market where volunteers load up banana boxes with fresh produce, eggs, and milk for drive-up pickup. She covers their 17 pantry partners across the county, monthly school food mobiles in Fowlerville, Howell and Pinckney, and a remarkable collaboration with Trinity Health that brings a community health worker right into the pantry one day a week. The numbers are staggering. Nearly 2 million pounds of food were distributed in Livingston County alone last year. 200 appointments every single day at Shared Harvest. And 70% of their shelf-stable inventory comes directly from community food drives. Whether you want to donate, volunteer, host a food drive, or simply know that the resource exists if you ever need it, this episode is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Gleaners’ Purpose 05:45 Reaching the Community and Fresh Markets 11:00 Getting Involved Through Volunteering and Donating 16:45 Community Partnerships and Impact 22:00 Accessing Services Guest Links https://www.gcfb.org/ https://donor.gcfb.org/page/mowdownhu... 5924 Serling Drive, Howell, MI 48843   / gleanersfan     / gleanersfoodbank     / gleaners   _____________________________ Show Links For more information on the Putkela Group and how to get connected, visit the links below: Business Page:   / putkelagroup   Website: https://www.welcometolivingston.com/ Instagram:   / putkelagroup   YouTube:    / @theputkelagroup   Phone: 1-888-PUTKELA (788-5352) For More Episodes: https://welcometolivingston.podbean.com/ Sponsor Links Thanks to our amazing sponsor! Visit their social media pages for more information. James Paquette Mortgage Sales Manager Lake Michigan Credit Union - LMCU NMLS ID# 533633 Direct Phone: (810) 263-6000 Cell Phone: (734) 604-2611 Website: https://www.lmcu.org/jamespaquette Facebook:   / jamespaquettelmcu   LinkedIn:   / jamesapaquette   YouTube:    / @lmcu