A full fridge. A family fed.

Q: Why does it cost $5 to ask for help?

Submitting a request costs a flat $5.00 processing fee. It covers the work of checking each request — the person, the store, and the amount — and it keeps joke requests out, so donors can trust that every request here is real. Paying the $5 does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable. No money is collected through the form on this page.

Bills for the Table helps people who need food. A neighbor buys a grocery gift card right here — and the card goes straight to the person who asked, by text or email.

Just getting started. No gift cards have been sent yet, and there is no app yet. Jerry Brock, a U.S. Marine veteran in Macomb, Michigan, started it for anyone staring at an empty fridge.

I want to buy a gift card I need food — request a gift card

Illustration. The kitchen table — where this idea started, and where a full fridge begins.

How it works

Simple on purpose. A person who needs food names a store and an amount. A neighbor buys the gift card here. The card goes straight to the person who asked.

Someone asks for food help

They name a grocery store — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI — and an amount: $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount.

A neighbor buys the gift card

Anyone who can help chooses a request and pays for the card right here on the site — the card amount, plus a separate 5% processing fee on top.

The card goes straight to them

Bills for the Table buys the gift card from the store’s own site and sends it by text or email. The full card amount reaches the person who asked.

Plain promises — and plain limits

Please read this before you ask for help or offer to buy a gift card.

Cost to submit a request: $5. Submitting a food help request costs a flat $5.00 processing fee. Paying the $5 does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable. It is separate from the donor’s 5% processing fee below.
No guarantee. Asking for help does not guarantee a gift card will be sent — we cannot promise a donor, or a date.
Only 3 requests at a time. When those 3 are filled or closed, we take the next 3. If we are full, the form below will say so.
Four stores, your amount. Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI — $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount.
A clear answer, every time. You get a clear answer within 2 days: a gift card was sent — or no donor has come forward yet.
If no donor comes forward, we point to other help right away: dial 211, try a local food pantry, and look into SNAP food benefits through Michigan Bridges. Do not wait on us alone.
How the money moves. The donor pays on this site. Bills for the Table buys the gift card from the store’s own site and sends it by text or email — the full card amount reaches the person who asked. The donor pays a separate 5% processing fee on top of the card, never taken out of it. Bills for the Table is not a registered nonprofit, and gifts are not tax-deductible. Payments are not live yet.
An optional tip — only if a donor wants to. A donor may add any amount on top of the gift card and the 5% processing fee — or no tip at all. Never required, always separate.
Thank you, or stay anonymous — the donor chooses. The donor tells us their choice themselves: “show my first name” or “stay anonymous.” Only a donor who shared their first name can be thanked by name.
Keep private details private. Never put account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details in the form or a Facebook message.

The founder: Jerry Brock

Jerry Brock is a U.S. Marine veteran and a 100% disabled veteran, living in Macomb, Michigan — founder and CEO of Bills for the Table, and founder of its sister projects, Bills for the Brave for veterans, Bills for the Paws for pets, and Bills for Seniors.

He knows the feeling behind this page by heart: a fridge with more shelves than food in it, and a grocery list that keeps getting shorter because the money ran out first. He has felt it himself. And he knows plenty of neighbors feel it too — a check that runs out before the month does, while the kids still need breakfast and the fridge gets emptier.

He knows what an empty fridge feels like. Bills for the Table is what he built so nobody in his town has to stare into one alone.

So Jerry founded Bills for the Table. Not a big, vague promise — one person who needs food, one neighbor buying a grocery gift card, and that card going straight into their hands, in full. When the fridge is full, a family can breathe again. That simple idea is the heart of everything on this page.

Jerry is the founder — and founder only. He is not the first person in line to be helped, and he does not take a request ahead of anyone. He started Bills for the Table for other people. His job here is to stand behind the promise on this page: check each request, match people with donors, and keep every word here honest. When the first gift card is sent through this page, that person will tell what it meant — in their own words.

Who he is: Jerry Brock — U.S. Marine veteran, 100% disabled veteran
Home: Macomb, Michigan
Role here: Founder and CEO of Bills for the Table — founder only, not the first person to be helped. Also founder of Bills for the Brave, Bills for the Paws, and Bills for Seniors
Why he started it: He knows what an empty fridge feels like, and he wants neighbors facing the same thing to have someone who can step in
What happens next: When the first grocery gift card is sent with help found through this page, that story will be shared here, in that person’s own words and with their permission.
Privacy: A person’s request details are shared only with a matched donor, with that person’s permission. Nothing about anyone’s private accounts is posted on this page. Never share account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details here.

What a grocery card covers

Groceries are not one thing — a gift card stretches across the whole store. Here is what people ask for most, at Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, and ALDI alike.

Fresh foodMeat, milk, eggs, and produce
Pantry staplesRice, pasta, beans, canned goods
Baby & kidsFormula, baby food, kids’ staples
Household basicsSoap, paper goods, cleaning basics
Special dietsGluten-free, low-sodium, and more
Holiday mealsThe turkey, the sides, the whole table

Grocery help in Michigan, by store

Bills for the Table is based in Macomb, Michigan, and helps people in Michigan and across the United States. The way it works is the same at every store — here it is in plain words. For every store below: anyone who needs food can ask; it costs $5 to submit a request (flat $5.00 processing fee, non-refundable, with no guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent); a donor pays on this site — the card amount plus a separate 5% processing fee on top, and may add an optional tip on top of that — only if they choose; Bills for the Table buys the card from the store’s own site and sends it by text or email, and the full card amount reaches the person who asked; only 3 requests are taken at a time; and you get a clear answer within 2 days. Start in the Request help section below.

Grocery help with a Kroger gift card

If Kroger is your store and the fridge is emptier than it should be, you can ask Bills for the Table for a Kroger gift card: $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount. A donor pays on this site, we buy the Kroger card from Kroger’s own site the moment the payment clears, and we send it straight to you by text or email — the full amount, with the donor’s separate 5% processing fee sitting on top, never taken out of your card.

It costs $5 to submit a request — a flat $5.00 processing fee. The fee is non-refundable, and paying it does not guarantee a donor will be found or a card will be sent — but we will fight hard to find you a donor. We take only 3 requests at a time, and you will get a clear answer within 2 days. If no donor comes forward, dial 211, try a local food pantry, and look into SNAP through Michigan Bridges right away — do not wait on us alone.

Request a Kroger gift card →

Grocery help with a Meijer gift card

Meijer is Michigan’s own superstore — groceries and household basics in one trip. If that is your store, you can ask Bills for the Table for a Meijer gift card: $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount. A donor pays on this site, we buy the Meijer card from Meijer’s own site the moment the payment clears, and we send it straight to you by text or email — the full amount, with the donor’s separate 5% processing fee sitting on top, never taken out of your card.

Request a Meijer gift card →

Grocery help with a Walmart gift card

Walmart is close to almost everybody, and a card there covers food plus the household basics. If that is your store, you can ask Bills for the Table for a Walmart gift card: $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount. A donor pays on this site, we buy the Walmart card from Walmart’s own site the moment the payment clears, and we send it straight to you by text or email — the full amount, with the donor’s separate 5% processing fee sitting on top, never taken out of your card.

Request a Walmart gift card →

Grocery help with an ALDI gift card

ALDI prices stretch a gift card a long way — a smaller card can still fill a cart. If that is your store, you can ask Bills for the Table for an ALDI gift card: $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount. A donor pays on this site, we buy the ALDI card from ALDI’s own site the moment the payment clears, and we send it straight to you by text or email — the full amount, with the donor’s separate 5% processing fee sitting on top, never taken out of your card.

Request an ALDI gift card →

Request a grocery gift card

This form is for anyone who needs food — no age limits, no veteran limits. Fill in every field marked with a *. One request per person — a family member or helper can fill it out for someone else.

Before you fill this out — please read this first

Cost to submit: $5 — read this before you fill out the form. Submitting costs a flat $5.00 processing fee. Paying the $5 does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable. No money is collected through this form itself.
Filling out this form does NOT guarantee a gift card will be sent. We cannot promise a donor will step forward, or by what date.
This form does NOT send or store anything. The button only creates request text to copy — you must send it to us yourself, in a message to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page, for now. The Bills for the Table Facebook Page is still to be created.
Never put private details in this form. No account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details — here or in the Facebook message. The phone number or email you give is only for sending your gift card and reaching you about your request.
Four stores, your amount — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI; $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount.
You will get a clear answer within 2 days: a gift card was sent — or no donor has come forward yet.
If no donor comes forward, do not wait on us alone. Dial 211, try a local food pantry, and look into SNAP food benefits through Michigan Bridges.
How payment works, when it happens. A donor pays on this site. Bills for the Table buys the gift card from the store’s own site and sends it to you by text or email — the full card amount reaches you. The donor pays a separate 5% processing fee on top, never taken out of your card. Bills for the Table is not a registered nonprofit, and gifts are not tax-deductible. Payments are not live yet.

We take only 3 requests at a time. When those 3 are filled or closed, we take the next 3. If we are full, it will say so right here: “We are full right now — please check back.”

Cost to submit a request: $5

Before you submit, the cost is plain: a flat $5.00 processing fee. That is the total — no extra fee on top for the person asking.

Cost to submit a request
What it is	Amount	What it covers
Processing fee (flat)	$5.00	Processing your request
Total to submit a request	$5.00

We will fight hard to find you a donor. Paying the $5 does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable.

This $5 fee is separate from the donor’s fee. A donor pays on this site — the gift card amount plus a separate 5% processing fee on top, never taken out of your card. Example: a $50 gift card costs the donor $52.50 total, and the full $50 reaches you.

A donor may also add an optional tip on top — any amount, or none at all. It is the donor’s choice alone, separate from your gift card: your card is the full amount either way.

Pay $5 to submit — the Table payment link is still being set up

You can still fill out the form below today and send your request text to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page. The fee is non-refundable, and paying does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent.

First name *

Who is filling this out? *

How should the gift card reach you? *

Town and state — optional, general area only

Your phone number or email * — this is where your gift card is sent, and how we reach you about your request

Which store? *

Gift card amount ($) * — most people ask for $25, $50, $75, or $100; another amount is fine

One sentence about your need *

If a donor buys your gift card — optional

Always your choice — nobody is ever required to post one. You can only thank a donor by name if they chose to share their first name.

Before you send this request *

Do not put private details in this form. Never include account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details — and never include passwords, dates of birth, or home addresses. The phone number or email you give is used only to send your gift card and reach you about your request.

This form does not send or store anything. The button turns what you typed into request text — nothing leaves this page until you share it, and filling it out does not guarantee a gift card will be sent.

Your food help request — copy and share it

After you copy it, send it to us in a message to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page — for now, that message is how your request reaches us, because the Bills for the Table Facebook Page is still to be created. Never add account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details.

For the people who can buy a gift card

If you have the means, this is direct help you can watch land: you buy a grocery gift card here, and it goes straight into the hands of someone who needs food.

What you’re being asked to do

Choose one request — or give without picking a person, and your gift card goes to the next person in line.
Pay right here on this site: the gift card amount, plus a separate 5% processing fee on top — a $50 card costs $52.50 in total.
Bills for the Table buys the card from the store’s own site and sends it to the person by text or email — the full amount reaches them.
Optional tip — only if you want to. Any amount, or none at all. Completely your choice, separate from the gift card and the 5% fee — the card is the full amount with or without one.
Tell us your thank-you choice: “show my first name” or “stay anonymous.” You tell us yourself. See the next section.
We confirm when the card has been sent — and the person can say thank you, if they want to.

The ground rules that protect everyone

Every request is checked before it is shared — the person, the store, and the amount.
Requests never ask for account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details.
Nobody’s identity is shared unless they choose it — people share only what they agree to, donors only a first name if they choose.
No gift card is promised until a donor actually commits to it.

Donor payments are not live yet. When the gift-card checkout is ready, you will pay the card amount and the separate 5% processing fee through a Stripe checkout link on this site.

Saying thank you — and staying anonymous

When a gift card lands, a thank-you means a lot. So does privacy. This part is built so both can happen — and so nobody’s identity is shared unless they choose it.

How the donor’s choice works — in plain words

When you buy a gift card, you pick the thank-you choice yourself — at checkout, or in your message to us:

Only a first name, only if you choose it. If you choose to share, we pass on your first name only — never a last name, contact detail, or anything else — and only to the person you helped.
If you say nothing, you stay anonymous. No choice shared means no name shared. Staying anonymous is always a complete, respected answer.
Your choice is the one we follow. Tell us in the “I want to buy a gift card” builder below, or in your message — either way, that choice is what travels with your gift card.

For donors: your two choices

Pick one when you buy a gift card:

“Show my first name” — The person you helped will be told your first name, and only your first name. They may thank you by that first name if they post a thank-you.
“Stay anonymous” — No name is shared with the person at all. They will know a card arrived, and they can still say a general thank-you, but it will not name you — because they were never told your name.

You can make this choice in the “I want to buy a gift card” builder below — it adds your choice, word for word, to the message you copy and send us.

For the person who asked: saying thank you, if you want to

If a donor bought your gift card, you are welcome to say thank you — only if you want to. Nobody is required to post anything.

If the donor chose “show my first name”: you will be told that first name, and you can thank them by that first name in a post.
If the donor chose “stay anonymous”: you will not be told any name. You can still post a thank-you — just without a name, for example: “To whoever bought my Kroger card — thank you. My fridge is full again.”
Share only what you choose. A thank-you can be as short as one sentence. Never post account numbers, gift card numbers, health details, or private information in a public thank-you.

Thank-yous are shared on the Bills for the Table Facebook Page once it opens — for now, they run through the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page. Use the thank-you builder below to put your words together, then copy and post them yourself. Nothing on this page posts or sends anything for you.

Write a thank-you

For someone whose gift card arrived. Fill in what you want to share — leave the donor’s name blank if they stayed anonymous, or if you do not know it.

Your first name — optional

Donor’s first name — only if they chose “show my first name”

The gift card that arrived — optional, in general words

Your thank-you, in your own words

Your thank-you — copy and post it

This builder does not post, send, or store anything. Copy your words and post them yourself, if and when you want to — on the Bills for the Table Facebook Page once it opens, or through the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page for now. Only name the donor if they chose “show my first name” — if they stayed anonymous, leave their name out.

Where the money goes — and how this stays alive

Donors pay right here on this site, and the full gift card amount reaches the person who asked. Submitting a request costs a flat $5.00 processing fee — non-refundable, and no guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent. Donors add a separate 5% processing fee on top of the card, so the card itself stays whole.

Cost to submit a request: $5

The full money detail — tap to open

100% of the gift card amount reaches the person

When someone buys a gift card here, Bills for the Table buys that card from the store’s own site the moment the payment clears and sends it straight to the person who asked, by text or email. The full amount reaches them — nothing is taken out of the card. The donor pays a separate 5% processing fee to Bills for the Table, on top of the card amount — see the example below.

Not a charity. Bills for the Table is not a registered nonprofit, and a gift through it is a personal gift, not a tax-deductible donation. That means people who help someone here do not get a tax break for that gift. That will be said plainly anywhere money is discussed, until and unless that status changes. Talk to a tax professional about your own situation before relying on any deduction.

The 5% processing fee — how Jerry earns from this

Jerry built this and runs it, and he hopes it can support him. The fee is paid by the donor, on top of the card, so the card itself is the full amount: a $50 gift card costs the donor $52.50 in total — the full $50 card goes to the person who asked, plus a $2.50 processing fee to Bills for the Table for Jerry’s time checking requests, buying the cards, and keeping the page going. It is always shown before anyone pays, and it is never taken from the card amount.

A person asking for food pays a flat $5.00 processing fee to submit a request. Paying the $5 does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable. That $5 fee is separate from the donor’s 5% processing fee above. The Table $5 payment link is still being set up; it will appear in the “Request a grocery gift card” section above once it is ready, and no money is collected through the form on this page. Donor checkout is not live yet either: the gift-card checkout link is still to be created, and each card will be bought from the store’s own site the moment a donor’s payment clears. Any optional tip a donor chooses to add will be paid through that same checkout. The remaining setup work — the request check, and tax and legal advice — is listed below, in the open.

Example: a $50 gift card

The split, shown plainly — the card is the full amount, and the processing fee sits on top.

What it is	Amount	Goes to
Gift card amount — the full amount reaches the person who asked	$50	The person who asked, as a gift card
Processing fee (5%, paid by the donor, on top)	$2.50	Bills for the Table
Total the donor pays	$52.50
Optional tip — only if the donor chooses, any amount or none (example: $5)	$5	Bills for the Table

With that example $5 tip, the donor’s total would be $57.50. With no tip at all, it stays $52.50 — and the gift card is the full $50 either way.

A small tip goes a long way

A small tip goes a long way — it keeps the lights on here so the next fridge can get filled. When you buy a gift card, you can add a tip of any amount on top of the card and the 5% processing fee — or no tip at all. It is always your choice, never required and never expected, and it never changes the help the person gets: 100% of the card amount still reaches them, in full. Tips go to Bills for the Table to help cover the cost of running this page, and — like the 5% fee — a tip is not a tax-deductible donation. Tips start when donor checkout goes live, through the same checkout link.

Three more ways to keep this going

Buying a gift card is the heart of this page — but it is not the only money that keeps the lights on. These three ways are separate from gift-card money, in the open.

Local business sponsors — tap to open

For local businesses

Local business sponsors

A grocery store, a diner, a pharmacy, a local bank — the businesses this town already trusts can stand behind this page. A sponsor pays a flat monthly amount, agreed with Jerry up front — $25 a month as a Community Sponsor, or $50 a month as a Hometown Sponsor — and in return the business is named here as a sponsor and thanked on our Facebook Page. One sponsorship covers all four Bills for Good sites.

Sponsorship money is advertising, not a donation: it helps cover the cost of running this site, and it is never gift-card money — it does not buy, or partly buy, anyone’s gift card. Because Bills for the Table is not a registered nonprofit, a sponsorship is not a tax-deductible gift; talk to your own tax professional about how it counts for your business.

Not live yet. The first sponsors are being signed up now — raise your hand with the builder below and Jerry will talk numbers with you directly. No sponsor money is collected through this page.

The Guardian Club — tap to open

$10 a month

The Guardian Club

Some people cannot buy a whole gift card, but they can show up every month. Guardians give $10 a month to help keep Bills for the Table running — steady support instead of one-off help. In return, Guardians get a first look at new requests as they come in, and a monthly thank-you on the Facebook Page.

Club money supports the running of this page — it does not buy a specific gift card. A Guardian who wants to buy a gift card does it the usual way — right here on the site, plus the separate 5% processing fee. Club payments are not tax-deductible donations.

Not live yet. The club opens once a Stripe subscription link is ready. Join the interest list with the builder below and you will be told the moment it opens — nothing is charged before then.

Bills for Good — purchase, not a donation

Shirts, sweatshirts & stickers

Bills for Good is the umbrella name over all four sites — “When a bill stands in the way, neighbors help pay it.” Merch carries the hand-drawn shield logo.

The Bills for Good shop is open now. Table shirts join the shop as soon as the designs clear review — the rest of the Bills for Good shop is open now. T-shirts $25, sweatshirts $45, stickers $5. Grand opening: 25% off everything for 14 days from November 8, 2026.

Shop Bills for Good merch

Print-on-demand — no upfront inventory. Printed and shipped by our print partner when someone orders — nothing is made until you buy it.
Four shirt colors: Forest Green, Navy, Black, and White.
Every shirt advertises all four sites everywhere it goes.

The full set, pictured in Forest Green: t-shirt, sweatshirt, and sticker.

T-shirt

$25

The classic tee with the gold grocery-bag-and-heart logo.

Color: Forest Green

Pictured in Forest Green.

Table design — joining the shop as soon as it clears review.

Sweatshirt

$45

The warm one — a hooded sweatshirt with the gold grocery-bag-and-heart logo.

Color: Forest Green

Pictured in Forest Green.

Table design — joining the shop as soon as it clears review.

Sticker

The round gold grocery-bag-and-heart sticker — for a laptop, water bottle, or car.

Design: Gold on white

One design, as pictured — the simple one-colour stamp version of the logo.

Table design — joining the shop as soon as it clears review.

Buying merch is a purchase, not a donation, and it is not tax-deductible. Merch money helps keep the sites running — it is never gift-card money and never buys anyone’s groceries.

Raise your hand — sponsors, Guardians & merch — tap to open

Raise your hand — sponsors, Guardians & merch

Sponsorships and the Guardian Club are not live yet — this builder does not sign you up or charge anything for those. Merch is different: the Bills for Good shop is open now, and Table designs join it as soon as they clear review. This builder writes a short message in your own words to copy and send to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page, for now.

I am interested in

Your name

Business name — sponsors only

Town and state — optional

Anything you want Jerry to know — optional

Your message — copy and paste it

This builder does not send, store, sign you up, or charge anything. Sponsorships and the Guardian Club start later — merch is in the shop now — and new openings are announced on this page and the Facebook Page first.

Get started — in your own words

For the full food help request — with the store, the amount, and how to reach you — use the request a grocery gift card form above. The two builders below make shorter messages in your own words. Nothing on this page sends or stores anything you type. Fill in the boxes, then copy your words and paste them wherever you reach out — Facebook, email, or a message. Nothing leaves this page until you do it yourself.

I need food

First name The store Amount, if you want to share it (optional) One sentence about your need

Your message — copy and paste it

Share only what you’re comfortable sharing. Never include account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, health details, or passwords in a public post.

I want to buy a gift card

First name — only if you want to share it Thank-you choice — should the person know your first name?

You pick this when you check out, or tell us here — this message is how you tell us before checkout opens. Only your first name is ever passed on, and only if you choose it. If you choose “stay anonymous,” your name is left out of the message entirely, even if you typed it above so we know who we are talking to.

How much gift card could you buy?

Which store would you like the card for? Anything you want the person to know (optional) Optional tip — add a little extra to help keep Bills for the Table going?

Or type your own tip amount ($) — optional

A small tip goes a long way — it keeps the lights on here so the next fridge can get filled. The tip is completely optional and separate from the gift card and the 5% processing fee: it goes to Bills for the Table, it never comes out of the gift card, and the card is the full amount with or without one. No tip at all is a complete answer.

Your message — copy and paste it

You’ll pay right here on this site once the gift-card checkout is ready — there is no checkout link yet. When it is live, a $50 gift card costs $52.50 in total: the full $50 card, plus the separate 5% processing fee on top. If you choose to add an optional tip, it is paid the same way — on top of both, and completely up to you.

Ready to copy to Facebook

Everything Jerry needs to set up the Facebook page, word for word. Copy a block, paste it into Facebook, done. The Bills for the Table Page is still to be created — until it is, requests are sent to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page.

Page name

Use this exact name so people find the same page everywhere.

Bills for the Table

About section

Bills for the Table connects people who have the means with people who need food.

Someone asks for a grocery gift card. A neighbor buys it on the site. The card goes straight to the person who asked — by text or email, the full amount.

Founded by Jerry Brock, a U.S. Marine veteran in Macomb, Michigan. Sister project to Bills for the Brave, Bills for the Paws, and Bills for Seniors.

Not a registered nonprofit. Gifts are personal gifts, not tax-deductible donations.

First post

I served in the Marine Corps. I came home, worked hard, and I know what it feels like to open the fridge and see more shelves than food.

Plenty of folks feel that right now — a paycheck that runs out before the month does, kids to feed, and a grocery list that keeps getting shorter.

So I started Bills for the Table — the sister project to Bills for the Brave, Bills for the Paws, and Bills for Seniors.

Here's the idea, simple as I can say it: somebody who needs food asks for a grocery gift card — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI. Somebody who can help buys that card on our site. We buy the card from the store's own site and send it straight to the person who asked, by text or email. The full amount reaches them.

I'm the founder — I started this for other people, not to put myself first in line. When the first card lands in somebody's hands, they'll be the one to tell you what it meant.

If you need food, or you can buy a card for somebody who does, message this Page and tell us in your own words. Please never send account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details in a message.

Please share this. One share might be the person who fills a fridge.

— Jerry Brock, Founder, Macomb, Michigan

Short version, for sharing anywhere

Bills for the Table: a neighbor buys a grocery gift card, and it goes straight to the person who asked — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI. For anyone who needs food. Founded by Jerry Brock, a Marine veteran in Macomb, Michigan.

Thank-you post — for someone whose gift card arrived

Post this only if you want to. Use the first version only when the donor chose “show my first name” — use the second when the donor stayed anonymous, and never add a name to it.

Thank you, [donor's first name].

Your gift card through Bills for the Table filled my fridge, and I can breathe again. You did not have to do this, and I will not forget it.

— [Your first name]

To whoever bought my gift card through Bills for the Table — thank you.

You chose to stay anonymous, and I respect that. My family ate this week because of you.

— [Your first name]

Before the first dollar moves

This page is the start, not the finish. These steps come before the first gift card is sent with help found through Bills for the Table — listed here so nobody has to take it on trust.

Create the Stripe links — for the $5 fee and for gift-card checkout: submitting a request costs a flat $5.00 processing fee (non-refundable, with no guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent). The Table $5 link is still being set up. Donors will pay the gift card amount plus a separate 5% processing fee on top — and any optional tip — through a gift-card checkout link that is also still to be created. Every amount is shown before anyone pays.
Gift-card supply, the moment a payment clears: each card is bought from the store’s own site — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI — the moment a donor’s payment clears, then sent to the person who asked by text or email, the full amount every time. Receipts are kept for every card.
Build the requester check: a clear, respectful way to confirm the person, the store, and the amount before a request is shared — without ever asking for account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details in the form.
Get tax and legal advice: confirm how gifts, the 5% processing fee, and any future nonprofit status should be handled — before money moves.
Set up the sponsors and merch: a plain way for local businesses to sponsor all four Bills for Good sites (Community Sponsor $25 a month, Hometown Sponsor $50 a month), and Bills for Good merch through our print partner (t-shirt $25, sweatshirt $45, sticker $5 — print-on-demand, no upfront inventory). Merch is a purchase, not a donation. Sponsorships are not live yet; the merch shop is open at bills-for-good.myspreadshop.com with Brave, Seniors, and Paws gear now, and Table gear joining as soon as its designs clear review. None of them is gift-card money — merch and sponsor money keep the sites running, never buy gift cards.
Create the Bills for the Table Facebook Page with the name and wording above. It is still to be created — until it exists, requests are sent to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page — and this website and the pages will say the same thing.
Build the app version: a separate installable app for phones, with accounts and matching between people who need food and people who can buy a card. This website is step one — it is not the app, and no app download exists yet.

Questions people will ask

Has anyone been helped yet?

Not yet. This is day one, and no gift cards have been sent yet. The first grocery gift card sent through Bills for the Table will be shared here — in that person’s own words — when it happens.

Who can ask for a gift card?

Anyone who needs food. There are no age limits and no veteran limits — if you need groceries, you can ask. It costs a flat $5.00 processing fee to submit a request; paying it does not guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable.

Which stores can I choose, and how much can I ask for?

Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI. Most people ask for $25, $50, $75, or $100 — or you can ask for another amount. Only 3 requests are taken at a time, and you get a clear answer within 2 days.

How does the gift card reach me, and how fast?

A donor pays on this site. The moment the payment clears, Bills for the Table buys the gift card from the store’s own site and sends it straight to you, by text or email — that is why the request form asks for the phone number or email where the card should go. The full card amount reaches you; nothing is taken out of it. Every request gets a clear answer within 2 days: a card was sent, or no donor has come forward yet.

Is this a charity? Can I deduct my gift?

No. Bills for the Table is not a registered nonprofit, and gifts are personal gifts, not tax-deductible donations — so people who buy a gift card for someone here do not get a tax break for that gift. If that status ever changes, it will be stated here first. If you are unsure about your own taxes, ask a tax professional — do not rely on a deduction from a gift made here.

What if nobody picks my request?

Then we point you to other help right away, and you should use it — do not wait on us alone. Dial 211 for local food help, try a local food pantry, and look into SNAP food benefits through Michigan Bridges. Filling out the request form does not guarantee a gift card will be sent, and we cannot promise a donor will step forward or by what date — but every request gets a clear answer within 2 days.

Can I give without picking a person?

Yes. If you would rather not pick a specific request, your gift card goes to the next person in line — the oldest waiting request that has not been picked yet. You still choose the store and the amount, and the card still goes straight to that person, in full.

Why does it cost $5 to ask for help?

Submitting a request costs a flat $5.00 processing fee. It covers the work of checking each request — the person, the store, and the amount — and it keeps joke requests out, so donors can trust that every request here is real. Paying the $5 does NOT guarantee a donor will be found or a gift card will be sent, and the fee is non-refundable. No money is collected through the form on this page.

Why is there a 5% fee on top for donors?

So the gift card itself stays whole. The donor pays the card amount plus a separate 5% processing fee on top, paid to Bills for the Table — for example, a $50 gift card costs the donor $52.50 in total: the full $50 card goes to the person who asked, plus a $2.50 processing fee for Jerry’s time checking requests, buying the cards, and keeping the site going. The fee is never taken out of the gift card. A donor can also add an optional tip on top — any amount, or none at all.

What should I never put in the form?

Never put account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details in the form or in a Facebook message — not ever. The form never asks for them, and nobody needs them. The phone number or email you give is only for sending your gift card and reaching you about your request.