Forgotten Harvest Provides 5,000 Holiday Meals to Area Families

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OAK PARK — Forgotten Harvest, a food rescue agency in Metro Detroit, in partnership with Garden Fresh, the Arab American and Chaldean Council, and Congregation Shaarey Zedek, provided more than 5,000 meals to families in need this holiday season.

Garden Fresh donated and prepared two tons (4,000 pounds) of chicken to include in the holiday meals that were delivered Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to 22 agencies throughout Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. Meals were distributed by more than 150 volunteers, the majority are from Congregation Shaarey Zedek who has supported this event at Forgotten Harvest the past four years.

“The meals prepared, donated and delivered this holiday season are part of the mission that Forgotten Harvest embodies which is to rescue and provide food, not only during the holidays but also throughout the year,” said Kirk Mayes, CEO of Forgotten Harvest. “Nearly one in four of our kids face hunger in Metro Detroit. Thanks to the generosity of our partners, those in-need throughout Metro Detroit had the ability to celebrate the holidays. Forgotten Harvest will bring in the New Year continuing to provide nutritious meals to those in need.”

Approximately 1,900 meals were provided to the Arab American and Chaldean Council for distribution. Forgotten Harvest provides about 60,000 pounds of food monthly to the Arab American and Chaldean Council.

“Forgotten Harvest has assisted our organization for the past three years,” said Bob Ghannam, director of special projects. “The need in the Detroit communities we serve continues to grow despite the upturn of the economy. As the need grows, Forgotten Harvest has been there to assist. We’re very fortunate to have Forgotten Harvest in our corner because if it wasn’t for them, and the dedicated volunteers from various companies and organizations, there would be a lot more hungry people in Detroit right now.”