Macomb County

Food drive surpasses goal; gets surprise donation

Oakland University teamed up with the City of Mount Clemens for its fifth annual food drive and collected 3,838 pounds of food for the Macomb Food Program. Group also surprised by a $4,500 donation from Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick.

Oakland University and The City of Mount Clemens collected 3,838 pounds of food for the Macomb Food Program through its community-wide food drive this year. Photo by Jessica Van Fleteren

macomb, santa parade, food drive, mount clemens, julie dichtel,

icon of a calendarNovember 20, 2018

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Oakland University and city of Mount Clemens surpass food drive goal

Oakland University and the City of Mount Clemens collected 3,838 pounds of food through its community-wide food drive supporting the Macomb Food Program – surpassing the goal of 3,000 pounds of food.

From November 1 through the annual Macomb County Santa Parade on November 17, OU collected food at its locations in Mount Clemens and Clinton Township as well as at local businesses, schools and government organizations throughout Mount Clemens that supported the food drive by collecting non-perishable and canned food donations. 

Locations that helped with food collection this year included: Ardis Music Shop, Bill Visnaw’s Styling Barber Shop, Champagne Chocolates, Chaos Studio Salon, Macomb County Administration, Gumbo's Restaurant, Gus' Coney Island, Macomb County Health Department, Mae’s Breakfast & Lunch, Mayor’s Office at City Hall, Mount Clemens High School NHS, O’Halloran’s Public House and Hall, Orleans Sports Café, Paperback Writer Books, Printing By Johnson, Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, Studio 58 Salon & Spa, The Nest Collaborative and Weirdsville Records.

Then, to top it off, Shelby Township-based Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick supported the food drive effort by donating $4,500 to the Macomb Food Program. Kyle M. Seidel, AEW’s senior project engineer for the engineering design firm, presented a check to Shannon Mallory, program manager for the MFP at the Macomb County Santa Parade Reception held at the OU Anton/Frankel Center in Mount Clemens.

Seidel said, “Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick’s board of directors and staff have historically made generous donations to programs that benefit those in need in our communities. This year, we wanted to share our abundance with the MFP – an amazing organization that supplies food to a network of more than 60 pantries and hunger relief organizations to ensure their shelves are stocked. Our entire AEW team is proud to assist the wonderful work of the MFP.”

Mallory added, “We’re appreciative of the 3,838 pounds of food collected by OU and The City of Mount Clemens as well as the businesses, schools and government organizations that participated in the food drive. Along with the incredibly generous cash donation from Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick - equating to 13,500 pounds of food – we’ll continue our fight against hunger in Macomb County.”

“This is OU’s fifth annual food drive and our best so far," Julie Dichtel, OU executive director of Macomb County Outreach said. "Last year, our staff, students, faculty and alumni collected 1,175 pounds of food – nearly triple the 394 pounds collected in 2016. Every donation makes a difference because no one should be hungry during the holidays. It’s wonderful to see how everyone came together to support the food drive and work of the MFP.”

food drive check
Left to right: Shannon Mallory, program manager for Macomb Food Program; Barb Dempsey, mayor of Mount Clemens; Kyle Seidel, AEW senior project engineer; and Julie Dichtel, OU executive director of Macomb County Outreach.

About Macomb Food Program:
The Macomb Food Program has collected food donations to feed residents in need since 1975. In 2016, the MFP provided assistance to more than 220,000 Macomb County residents. For more information, visit https://mca.macombgov.org/MCA-ES-Food.

About Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick:
Founded in 1968, AEW is a civil engineering, surveying and architectural design firm with offices in Shelby Township, Roseville and Livonia.

About Oakland University:
Oakland University is a nationally recognized doctoral research institution located on 1,443 acres in Rochester Hills, Mich. and Auburn Hills, Mich. The University offers 132 bachelor's degree programs and 138 graduate degree and certificate programs in arts and sciences, business administration, education, engineering and computer science, health sciences, medicine and nursing. As one of Michigan’s fastest-growing counties, Macomb County has been a significant part of OU’s growth and expansion since its founding 60 years ago. In 1991, OU became a partner school at the newly established University Center on Macomb Community College’s campus in Clinton Township, Mich. OU opened its Anton/Frankel Center in Mount Clemens, Mich. in 2011.

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