Gleaners Community Food Bank is one of the oldest food banks in the country, founded in Detroit in 1977. In fiscal year 2025 it distributed more than 47 million pounds of food to over a million households across five southeastern Michigan counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Monroe. About 92 cents of every dollar it spends goes straight to food and food programs. Angela Moloney became President and CEO in January 2026, succeeding Gerry Brisson, who had led the organization since 2014.
Gleaners sources food at scale and distributes it across five counties through nearly 350 partner agencies, including soup kitchens, pantries, shelters, and schools, alongside its own drive-up grocery distributions. It runs programs aimed at children and seniors and has long focused on nutrition, not just calories. Its cost efficiency is a point of pride: roughly 92 cents of every dollar goes directly to food and food programs.
Angela Moloney became President and CEO in January 2026 after a national search, succeeding Gerry Brisson, who led Gleaners from 2014. She joined from the Catholic Foundation of Michigan, where she was founding president and CEO, and brings more than two decades of executive experience in philanthropy and organizational growth. The handoff was structured to keep operations steady across the five-county service area.
The service area is southeastern Michigan: Wayne County and Detroit, plus Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Monroe counties. Detroit has some of the highest food insecurity of any major US city, and need extends into the surrounding suburbs and outlying counties. Gleaners covers the full mix from its Detroit base.
Yes. Gleaners is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member, and as one of the earliest food banks in the country it has a long operating record. Its high program-expense ratio, around 92 cents per dollar, means donations go almost entirely to food and food programs.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through gcfb.org. Volunteers sort and pack food and help at distributions, and cash gifts go furthest because of the food bank’s purchasing power and efficiency.
Gleaners covers the dense southeastern corner of the state around Detroit, while Feeding America West Michigan covers the western and central counties and the Upper Peninsula. For anyone in metro Detroit or the surrounding counties, Gleaners is the lead organization.
Nearly 350 agencies across five counties receive food.
Direct grocery distributions for households that cannot reach a pantry.
School and weekend food support for kids at risk of hunger.
Food assistance for older adults on fixed incomes.
Sources: Gleaners Community Food Bank website (gcfb.org), and 2025-2026 reporting from Crain’s Detroit Business and BridgeDetroit on the leadership transition to Angela Moloney. We are not affiliated with Gleaners Community Food Bank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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