Kids & Family

Charter One, Gleaners Hand Out School Supplies, Food to Local Families

Oakland County families received back-to-school supplies and food as part of the Gear for Grades program.

This week, 2,000 children from Macomb, Wayne and Oakland Counties are being sent back to school prepared with new backpacks and school supplies thanks to Charter One’s Gear for Grades initiative in partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan.

Nearly a ton of pencils, pens, folders, notebooks, glue sticks and index cards were donated by the public in all branches across Michigan, according to a recent press release.

Gear for Grades was organized in partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan.

According to a National Retail Federation survey, the average American family spent $668 in 2012 on back-to-school expenses.

“With the rising cost of school supplies, the Gear for Grades program helps to ease the financial strain parents face this time of year as they prepare to send their children back to school,” Ken Marblestone, President of Charter One, Michigan and Ohio, said in the release. “We are proud to play a role in contributing to the academic success of local children who will now return to the classroom ready to learn. We thank our customers and the general public who supported this program by donating new school supplies which make a big difference to the children who receive them. I also want to thank Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan for their critical role in this year’s program.”

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The Gear for Grades program is a part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program for contributing to the economic vitality of communities.

Charter One colleagues and community members volunteered to help fill the supplies in logo-free backpacks donated by the Charter One Foundation to help ensure children have a positive experience as they return to the classroom.

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“We are honored to partner with Charter One to be a part of its Gear for Grades program,” DeWayne Wells, President of Gleaners Community Food Bank, said in the press release. “Helping so many children be prepared and feel confident and excited about the upcoming school year is truly rewarding. As individuals and as a community, we will benefit from our efforts to educate our youth.”

You can learn more about the Gear for Grades program here.


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