The Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club Radiothon Raises $1.3 Million in 16 Hours to Help the Hungry and Homeless Across Metro Detroit
Total donations top $33 million over 30-year Radiothon history
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., (Feb. 24, 2017)— The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit’s 30th Annual Bed & Bread Club Radiothon, presented by Ford Motor Company Fund, raised $1.3 million to fight hunger and homelessness during today’s 16-hour event, which aired live from the Emagine Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan, on News/Talk 760 WJR.
For the eighth year in a row, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit partnered with the Great Voice of the Great Lakes and its on-air personalities with a special hosting appearance by corporate champion Jim Vella, president of Ford Motor Company Fund.
Bed & Bread Club Chairman and retired Detroit radio Hall of Famer, Dick Purtan, returned to the airwaves to host the final four hours of the marathon broadcast, joined by Purtan’s People.
Among the day’s largest contributions:
- Radiothon presenting sponsor Ford Motor Company Fund generously donated $100,000.
- $60,000 was donated by the Artichoke Garlic Foundation, which just launched this past year by Jack and Annette Aronson.
- More than $40,000 was presented by The Salvation Army Advisory Board.
- Donations of $30,000 each came from Edsel and Cynthia Ford, Lear Corporation, Pat Moran Chevrolet, Dick and Gail Purtan, The Suburban Collection and UAW-Ford.
- Ally Financial, Campbell’s Soup Company and Garden Fresh each contributed $25,000. Toyota Motor North America also donated $25,000 in a combination of cash and more than 150 pairs of boots to women and children through the automaker’s “Walk in My Boots” event.
- Giving $15,000 gifts were comedian and actor Tim Allen, The Huntington Bank and Sandy Pierce, Pat Milliken Ford, Penske Corporation and Toyota Motor North America.
- $12,500 donations came from Big Boy Restaurants International, as well as Michigan Financial Companies. Michigan Financial Companies contribution came from the early-February Comedy for a Cause fundraiser at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in Royal Oak.
- $10,000 donations came from Dow, DTE Energy and the Vella Family.
- Marathon Petroleum Corp. donated one year’s worth of gas for The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread trucks.
The end of the program not only celebrated the 2017 fundraising total, but also the incredible contributions Purtan has made to The Salvation Army over the last 30 years as radiothon founder and constant Bed & Bread advocate. Throughout Purtan’s appearance on the radiothon, guests offered congratulations and donations for his work in generating support for those in need throughout metro Detroit.
The Salvation Army marked this milestone by naming Purtan an honorary Commandant in The Salvation Army, presented by Salvation Army Commissioners Paul and Carol Seiler.
“The Salvation Army is dedicated to Doing the Most Good through the Bed & Bread program and it is humbling to see the generosity of this community in supporting our neighbors in need,” said Lt. Col. John Turner, divisional commander of The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. “We extend our sincerest thanks to WJR, Ford Motor Company Fund, Emagine and all those who contributed so much to make the radiothon a success.”
The nonprofit’s Bed & Bread annual radiothon is the largest single-market, single-day radio cash fundraiser in the country. Funds from the Radiothon go directly to the Bed & Bread program.
About The Salvation Army Bed & Bread Program
The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit’s Bed & Bread Program serves more than 28,000 meals each week to men, women and children who would otherwise go without. That’s nearly 1.5 million meals every year. In addition, the Bed & Bread Program provides shelter to 450 homeless individuals each night, nearly 164,000 nights of shelter annually.
The Bed & Bread Program is unique in that it serves many people via mobile soup kitchens. The Bed & Bread trucks are on the streets of Detroit 365 days a year making designated stops throughout the day.