DETROIT – The Detroit Lions and Meijer joined forces with Gleaners Community Food Bank for the second year in a row to pack and distribute 10,000 meal kits to families throughout Michigan this Thanksgiving, doubling the previous year's impact and expanding the reach outside of just the Detroit area. With help from AAA – The Auto Club Group (ACG), Lineage Foundation for Good, Modern Woodmen of America, Delta Air Lines and JIFFY, the organizations packaged the kits that equate to more than 335,000 meals.
Across eight different sessions in the months leading up to Thanksgiving, volunteers from Meijer, Gleaners, ACG, Lineage, Modern Woodmen, Delta Air Lines, JIFFY, North Bay Produce, the Michigan National Guard and the Detroit Lions – including current players, Detroit Lions Family Association members (player and coaches' families/loved ones), Lions Legends and staff made a stop at the Gleaners distribution center in Taylor, Michigan to pack the boxes. The meal kits were filled with green beans, corn, fruit, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy and JIFFY Mix. Each recipient at every distribution site also received a 3-lb bag of fresh apples provided by North Bay Produce and a whole turkey.
"As a long-established part of the Thanksgiving celebrations in Detroit and across Michigan, it has been important for us to find ways to continuously expand the impact we've been making in the community during the fall holiday season," said Detroit Lions President & CEO Rod Wood. "We are so grateful to all our wonderful partners who came together to support this initiative in helping us provide over 335,000 warm meals to families throughout our state. It is an honor to be a part of our community and we hope that this can reduce some of the stress for our neighbors during the holiday."
The meal kits were partially funded with proceeds from the Detroit Lions limited-edition collectible flag introduced in 2024 and sold at all Meijer stores in Michigan. Meijer, ACG, Lineage, Modern Woodmen, Delta Air Lines, JIFFY and North Bay Produce all also individually contributed to helping provide the food. Amazon's TNF for Good initiative additionally donated $20,000 to each club to support holiday initiatives addressing food insecurity, which enhanced this year's Lions and Meijer meal kit distributions for Thanksgiving.
"We're grateful to partner with the Detroit Lions and Gleaners Community Food Bank to support communities in need across the state of Michigan this holiday season," said Melissa Conway, Director, Community Partnerships & Giving at Meijer. "At Meijer, hunger relief remains at the heart of our purpose, and by coming together to pack and distribute these meal kits for thousands of families, we're helping ensure that our neighbors can enjoy a wonderful holiday meal and experience the support of their community."
This year the meal kits were passed out around the state of Michigan at 35 different locations via Gleaners Community Food Bank (15 distributions in Detroit), Food Bank of Eastern Michigan (four distributions in Saginaw), Feeding America West Michigan (15 distributions between Grand Rapids and Traverse City) and Greater Lansing Food Bank (one distribution in Lansing). Three of the 35 distributions also featured volunteers from the participating organizations helping pass out the meal kits: Detroit Lions Academy in Detroit with help from the Lions, Meijer, Lineage, Delta Air Lines, JIFFY and Modern Woodmen; AAA Headquarters in Dearborn with help from ACG employees and the Lions; and Buchanan Elementary School in Grand Rapids with help from Meijer and the Lions.
"Our most cherished memories, traditions and celebrations during the holidays usually center around the meals we share with one another," said Angela Halverson, director of community giving for Gleaners. "We're grateful for the collaboration, grit and generosity of the Detroit Lions, Meijer, AAA - The Auto Club Group, Lineage Foundation for Good, Delta Air Lines, JIFFY, Modern Woodmen of America and North Bay Produce, working together as one team to help set the table for hunger-free communities."
The Lions will play their 86th annual Thanksgiving Day Classic against the Green Bay Packers on November 27 (kickoff 1:00 PM).
