GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Several members of the Detroit Tigers were in town Friday to surprise a class of student volunteers that were packing lunches at the Kid's Food Basket headquarters.
The Tigers are making their way across the state as part of their annual Winter Caravan tour. After their stop in Grand Rapids, they were off to Frankenmuth and then Flint Friday evening.
Founding CEO of Kid's Food Basket, Bridget Clark Whitney, told FOX 17 this sort of volunteer work is essential to their mission.
"When the Tigers come to Kid's Food Basket it just reminds all of us that we can be a part of making this world a better place,” she said.
According to Whitney, there are over 50,000 kids receiving free or reduced lunch in Kent County alone. In Ottawa and Allegan County, where the organization has recently expanded into, have over 11,000 kids currently considered food insecure, she says.
Grayson Greiner, a pitcher for the Tigers, said he was appreciative of the opportunity to volunteer alongside the students, saying, "Everything in the world is geared towards raising the next generation of kids and the fact that we are a small piece in the big engine that's helping with that is huge."
The students at Kid's Food Basket Friday were all from Brookside Elementary.
"They’re making sandwiches, they’re decorating sack supper bags, they’re having a blast," Whitney said, “childhood hunger is a societal issue that belongs to everyone and we all have the power to solve it.”
You can find more information about Kid's Food Basket at their website or Facebook page.
