Food Rescue GT Area Spartans

Project Description

Join the Grand Traverse Area Spartans at Goodwill - Northern Michigan for a Food Rescue Repack Event.  For the Fall 2026 GTAS/Goodwill Northern Michigan Food Rescue Event, we are targeting a harvest event as part of the Healthy Harvest program.  The Heathy Harvest program is Goodwill Northern Michigan Food Rescue’s farm-based gleaning program.  Farms invite Goodwill Northern Michigan Food Rescue volunteers to harvest fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste — not because they aren’t needed, but because there aren’t enough hands or systems to get that food where it needs to go.

Please note that if there is not a harvest partner that is ready or if there is inclement weather, we would need to default to a repack event at the Goodwill Northern Michigan main office involving items such as frozen vegetables, cereal, etc.

Goodwill Northern Michigan Accommodations:

• Age requirement: Must be 18 years or older
• Closed toe shoes and dress in layers.  Please bring a jacket.
• Bring a water bottle
• To volunteer for the event, you must also register with Goodwill-Northern Michigan.  A link to their registration site is provided below.  Please do not register through the MSU Serve site.

https://goodwillnmi.vomo.org/opportunity/gogreengowhite2026

• Where: 2889 Aero Park Drive in Traverse City which is located right off Three Mile Road. You’ll see the Goodwill sign near the road. When you turn in, drive towards the back; our warehouse is the second one on the right and has green metal siding. Park in any marked spot near the warehouse, making sure to leave the truck turnaround clear of cars. The entrance you’ll use is to the immediate right of the garage doors/truck bays -- look for the volunteer sign that points towards the glass door. Pull the door to enter, sign in on the clipboard, and then ring the doorbell in the vestibule.  Please carpool if possible. Thank you!  (Please note that the work location may be a local farm/orchard.  If so, we will notify you via e-mail prior to the event so we can meet directly at the local farm/orchard.)

Project Date

September 19, 2026

Project Locations and Shifts

Goodwill Northern Michigan
2889 Aero-Park Dr
Traverse City, MI 49686

(Please note that the work location may be a local farm/orchard.  If so, we will notify you via e-mail prior to the event so we can meet directly at the local farm/orchard.)

9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Community Partner - Goodwill Northern Michigan-Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan

Goodwill Northern Michigan-Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan Accommodations

• Must be 18 years or older
• Wear: sturdy, closed-toe shoes, a hat or other head covering, and comfortable, rugged clothes. Consider wearing layers, as the temperature can vary a great deal. Bring a water bottle.
• Additional registration or documentation required: https://goodwillnmi.vomo.org/opportunity/gogreengowhite2026
  To volunteer for the event, you must register with Goodwill-Northern Michigan.

About Goodwill Northern Michigan-Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan

16,000 households in our region rely on food pantries and meal programs to access the nutritious food they need — 1/3 are children, 1/3 are seniors, and many have disabilities.  Food Rescue rescues, harvests, repacks, and distributes 2.6 MILLION POUNDS of food a year to support area food pantries and meal programs.

• Food Rescue picks up 10,000 pounds of food a day from grocery stores, bakeries, and farms. That’s enough food to make 8,500 meals, worth $19,000, delivered every day.

• We deliver it to 70+ food pantries, meal programs, and baby pantries in a five-county region twice the size of Rhode Island.
• Food Rescue makes 275 deliveries a month to the pantries and meal sites of the Northwest Food Coalition, at no cost to the pantries.
• 46% of the food we deliver is fruits and vegetables. We concentrate on nutritious food that people have the hardest time accessing.
• Food Rescue delivers 2,600,000 pounds of food a year. That’s $5 million worth of food — enough food to make 2.2 million meals!

Website: https://www.goodwillnmi.org/food