This January, the students, staff and faculty from the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Flint decided to take action because of a profound need they saw in their community. They learned, from data on the website of The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan that there are an estimated 82,570 residents living in Genesee County with food insecurities – nearly 20% of the county’s population. Everyone on the campus was floored by these statistics and knew that they wanted to be involved in helping to meet some of the need. Classes competed for most donated items went all out. The campus’ evening Medical Insurance Billing and Office Administration class donated 458 items in just 4 days! Ms. Jackson, Medical Insurance Billing and Office Administration Instructor was so proud of her students, saying, “I loved the way the class pulled together as a team to show so much support for the needy in our community.”
The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan has been a vital necessity for Flint area residents since 1981, when three community members began the non-profit organization in a small rented space. After joining United Way in 1985 and Feeding America in 1987, The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan has grown to serve 22 counties which stretch from Cheboygan to St. Clair. In 2002, they received the Excellence in Food Banking Award from Feeding America, recognizing it as the nation’s number one food bank. Still today they continue to expand their programs, service area, and donations. In 2013 alone, they were able to donate over 23 million pounds of food to those in need.
The campus as a whole was able to give 1268 items to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. “It made me feel great to help those in need. The world needs more people to help each other out. I could only wish if I was in that situation, someone would do it for me,” said Bridgette Fox, student in the Medical Insurance Billing and Office Administration program. Everyone that participated was thankful for the opportunity to give so much to those in their community that are in need. They look forward to doing more in the future with this organization.
If you are interested in donating, visit https://www.fbem.org/donate for more information.