Food Gatherers delivery to Manchester Family Services. Mirror file photo.

by Sara Swanson

Manchester Family Services (MFS) is a local organization that provides financial help and offers monthly food distribution to Manchester-area residents in need. This week they are extending their deep gratitude to Food Gatherers of Washtenaw County on the 30-year anniversary of their partnership.

Catherine Moore of MFS stated, “Manchester Family Services has received reliable and strong support over the past 30 years from Food Gatherers. This organization is a food bank and food rescue program serving Washtenaw County. It exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community. Food Gatherers was established in 1988 as Michigan’s first food rescue program and among the first six in the United States. In the summer of 1995, MFS applied for help from Food Gatherers of Ann Arbor.”

Food Gatherers is the largest anti-hunger program in Washtenaw County. They partner with a network of hunger-relief partners that includes Manchester Family Services and the Community Resource Center in the Manchester area, providing them with free or very low-cost food. In fiscal year 2024, Food Gatherers distributed 10.3 million pounds of food—the equivalent of 8.5 million meals—in Washtenaw County.

Moore added, “We have received food deliveries every month for our food distribution days for the past 30 years. In addition to this support, we receive ‘Carrot Credits’ yearly, which help us purchase additional groceries for our approximately 150 community individuals (families and seniors/singles). Our community is so lucky/blessed to have an organization like Food Gatherers.”

Thank you, Food Gatherers and Manchester Family Services, for 30 years of helping to feed Manchester residents.

If you would like to donate to Manchester Family Services directly, you can send a check to Manchester Family Services, P.O. Box 471, Manchester, Michigan 48158.