“There are kids who sit in classrooms every day, hungry, unable to concentrate on their schoolwork and take tests,” Turner said.

The Food Bank Council of Michigan is bringing fulfillment to many of the children at the Boys & Girls Club of Lansing, 4315 Pleasant Grove Road in Lansing, in the 17th annual Michigan Harvest Gathering.

The council is sponsoring a statewide fundraising drive in an effort to collect $350,000 and 500,000 pounds of food by Nov. 13.

They kicked off the Michigan Harvest Gathering on Thursday at the state Capitol.

Jane Marshall, executive director of the Food Bank Council, said the group will distribute the food to soup kitchens, Boys & Girls Clubs, churches and other nonprofit and emergency food providers.

The Council works with many organizations and businesses to sponsor the event, including the Michigan Secretary of State, Michigan Outdoor Advertising and the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Marshall said.

The theme for this year’s Harvest Gathering is “Give Local” because the council is trying to connect with locally grown food, Marshall said.

“We wanted people to get access to good and healthy food,” she said. “Not everyone has equal access to fresh food.”

Turner said the Food Bank Council donates a significant amount of food to the Boys & Girls Club every year to make sure the children have nutritious snacks and meals.

Monetary donations – which Marshall said she hopes to collect from corporations, foundations and organizations – will cover costs for transporting food in and out of the state.

State of Michigan employees and nonprofit hospitals typically hold canned-food drives to assist with the campaign while automakers, food donors and schools across Michigan make additional donations, Marshall said.

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land will open all of her branch offices to hold donation collections for the Harvest Gathering, said spokeswoman Kelly Chesney. Land anticipates that a million people will turn to food banks, community pantries and emergency services this year due to a faltering economy and cold weather, Chesney said.

“Every dollar that is collected is used for providing food or transporting it,” Chesney said. “Not a penny of it goes to administrative costs.”

Last year, the campaign raised $302,000, just below the $350,000 goal.

Marshall said the economic situation makes it difficult to raise money because of increasing gas and food prices.

“(People) may not realize that one in 10 people are having trouble getting food,” she said. “Most people can relate to what it feels like to be hungry.”