CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICH. – August 3, 2022 – Lakeland Fresh Farms, a local producer of hydroponically grown greens, announced today it will donate its excess produce to Forgotten Harvest, a metro Detroit charity committed to delivering food to families in need, free of charge.

In harmony with Forgotten Harvest’s mission to relieve hunger and prevent nutritious food waste, Lakeland will further its social mission to sustainably grow the safest, freshest and tastiest produce year-round, utilizing the most environmentally and socially responsible business practices.

“This partnership directly ties to both of our organizations’ missions,” said Joe Corace, president and CEO of Lakeland Fresh Farms. “As a local business leader in the agriculture industry, I am responsible for strengthening our local food system and ensuring that our most vulnerable communities benefit from our farm.”

Throughout southeast Michigan, Forgotten Harvest works with 200 food pantries and shelters overall and serves more than 610,000 children, families, and seniors by rescuing and redistributing food that would have otherwise been wasted.

“We are seeing an increased need for food supply in metro Detroit,” said Kirk Mayes, CEO at Forgotten Harvest. “Being able to partner with a local farm that will help us fill the demand for nutritious, fresh greens means the world to our organization and our recipients who rely on us to feed their families. I look forward to our partnership and the impact Lakeland’s donations will have on thousands of families.”

According to a report released this year by the Food Security Council, in 2019, about 1.3 million Michiganders faced food insecurity, with more than 300,000 being children. Since the pandemic, it is estimated roughly 1.9 million people, 552,000 of whom are kids, were faced with food insecurities in 2020.

Forgotten Harvest estimates over 70 billion pounds of food are wasted every year in the U.S. Lakeland is proud to partner with Forgotten Harvest to eliminate food waste. This partnership will allow Lakeland to continue its sustainability promise while also using 90% less water than a traditional farm and avoiding chemical contamination of nearby freshwater lakes and rivers.

“In agriculture, there are instances where we produce more than what we can sell to stores, it’s imperative to make sure our excess supply goes into the hands of families in need. I urge others in the agriculture industry to follow so we can all work together to end hunger among our most vulnerable populations,” said Corace.

About Lakeland Fresh Farms

Located in Chesterfield Township, Mich., Lakeland Fresh Farms grows high-quality greens year-round, utilizing the most environmentally and socially responsible business practices. Lakeland Fresh Farms products are 100% free of chemical pesticides and herbicides as well as animal byproducts. Each product is packaged with 40% less plastic than traditional packaging and is 100% recyclable. For more information visit, lakelandfreshfarms.com.

About Forgotten Harvest

Oak Park, Michigan-based Forgotten Harvest was formed in 1990 to fight two problems: hunger and waste. Forgotten Harvest rescued over 52 million pounds of food last year by collecting surplus prepared and perishable food from over 530 locations, including grocery stores, fruit and vegetable markets, restaurants, caterers, dairies, farmers, wholesale food distributors and other Health Department-approved sources. This donated food, which would otherwise go to waste, is delivered free-of-charge to over 200 emergency food providers in the metro Detroit area. Learn more about Forgotten Harvest and how to help drive hunger from our community at www.forgottenharvest.org.