Medical Weight Loss Clinic now accepting food donations for Gleaners

At Medical Weight Loss Clinic, our staff is always ready to meet patients where they are and support them as they work toward healthy goals. But there’s so much more to what we do than support weight loss. Ask Fran Yee, marketing director at Medical Weight Loss Clinic, and she’ll tell you our program helps patients live healthier and more vibrant lives.

Drop off unperishable food items at these Medical Weight Loss Clinic locations to support Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. | Photo by Austin Kehmeier via Unsplash

“In the spirit of not only helping our patients, we would also like to help those in our community who lack sufficient access to food and resources,” she says. “We are proud to announce that we have partnered with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan to become a drop off site for our patients and community to donate non-perishable food items at our clinics.”

All clinic locations now have donation boxes and are collecting unopened, non-perishable, labeled and shelf-stable food items. Medical Weight Loss Clinic patients are welcome to bring these items from their home pantries and donate them to a worthy cause.

“This partnership is a win-win!” says Angela Halverson, director of donor engagement at Gleaners. “It helps out the patients of Medical Weight Loss Clinic by offering a location that they can bring in nonperishable food items they may want out of the kitchen. On the Gleaners side, that donated food will benefit our partner agencies with a variety of greatly needed food items that go directly on their shelves to feed others.”

Gleaners provides food to more than 400 partner soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, schools and other agencies across the region. In 2022, Gleaners distributed more than 47 million pounds of food to neighbors in need.

“At a time when one in seven people – including one in five children – are facing food insecurity in Southeast Michigan, it’s encouraging to see our community coming together to support those in need,” Angela adds. “With this partnership, and the generosity of the Medical Weight Loss Clinic patients and staff, more of our neighbors will be able to put food on the table. Every 4 pounds of donated food can provide three meals to a hungry neighbor.”

This is an especially helpful option when new Medical Weight Loss Clinic patients begin a customized program. They may find they may have foods in the pantry that are not on the recommended plan. It’s now possible to donate them.

This isn’t the first time Medical Weight Loss Clinic has teamed up with Gleaners, either. 

“Over the holidays, we created a cookbook with healthier recipes that could be downloaded from our website” Fran says. “With each download, we decided to donate $1 to Gleaners.”

Upon presenting the donation, our Medical Weight Loss Clinic team discovered other ways to get involved.

“Becoming a drop off point for non-perishable items made sense!” Fran adds. “It is an opportunity for our patients to not let their food go to waste.”

Do you have shelf-stable, protein-rich foods at home that you can donate? Think items like canned chicken or tuna, peanut butter or protein drinks. Hearty soups, beans, canned fruits or vegetables, cereal or oatmeal all make a suitable donation for Gleaners. Check the cupboards.

Stop by one of our food drive locations today. Ready to start a healthy program? Sign up for a free consultation with Medical Weight Loss Clinic. Learn more at mwlc.com.

*Results may vary. Minimum purchase required. Some restrictions apply and discounts may not be used for online purchases.
When you enroll in a Medical Weight Loss Clinic program, the length of your program will be determined by you and the staff based on the amount of weight you want to lose and how quickly you want to lose it. Your actual weight loss will be determined by many factors, including, but not limited to: your medical circumstances, the plan you choose, adherence to the meal plan and use of nutritional supplements. Your goal and program duration information will be given to you in writing at the time of enrollment. As your program progresses, the rate you lose weight may change and you will have the opportunity to discuss this at every daily visit with your weight loss consultant, where changes to your meal plan and/or program can be made.