Detroit To Provide 7,000 Additional Meals With Project Isaiah Partnership
DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Detroit Parks & Recreation has partnered with Project Isaiah to increase meal distribution to Detroiters.
After starting with 5,000 last week during a trial, Detroit will now provide 7,000 additional meals per week to families in need. Approximately 4,000 of those meals will be provided to individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 ensuring that they have the resources necessary to shelter-in-place.
"No one should have to worry about food during a global pandemic," said Michael S. Klein, the chairman of Project Isaiah. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Bank of America and the City of Detroit in this important effort. We all win when everyone stands together."
The distribution effort to support COVID-19 positive patients is bringing together for-profit, government and philanthropic partners to reduce the spread of the virus.
"As we move through this crisis, it is absolutely critical that we as a City meet the needs of our citizens and one of the most basic needs is access to quality food, said Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff, City of Detroit. "The team at the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Division has led the way by creating a network of innovative programs to meet the growing needs of our citizens and we cannot thank them enough for their extraordinary hard work and leadership".
Since launching in Detroit on April 11, through a grant funded by Bank of America, Project Isaiah has provided nearly 70,000 meals to residents through partnerships with the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, Forgotten Harvest and Salvation Army of Michigan. Project Isaiah hired Gate Gourmet — one of the nation's largest airline catering companies — to produce the meals, saving local jobs and allowing their state-of-the-art airport kitchens to be used to fill a growing food need.
Detroit Parks & Recreation will use this support from Project Isaiah and Bank of America to build infrastructure to increase the city's impact and reach more families in Detroit. With the additional funding support, Project Isaiah will now be able to provide more than 30,000 boxed meals per week to Detroit residents.
"This partnership provides us with additional resources to support critical food distribution in Detroit," said Erin Casey, Assistant Director, Detroit Parks & Recreation. "With Project Isaiah and added organizational partners it ensures we reach a broad net of Detroiters during this pandemic."
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