Bills for the Table
A Bills for Good company
Bills for the Table  ·  Started in Macomb, Michigan Sister project to Bills for the Brave, Bills for the Paws, and Bills for Seniors — same family, for food

DONORS FIRST — we’re stocking the first gift cards now. Food requests open as soon as the first cards are funded.

A full fridge. A family fed.

Bills for the Table helps people who need food. Neighbors are funding the first grocery gift cards now, so food requests can open with cards already stocked.

Donors first. The first gift cards are being stocked now — none have been sent yet. Jerry Brock, a U.S. Marine veteran in Macomb, Michigan, started this for anyone staring at an empty fridge.

Fund a gift card I need food
Watercolor illustration of a mother and young child smiling in a cozy kitchen as paper grocery bags are unpacked on the table, with bread and vegetables visible and winter light coming through the window
Illustration. The kitchen table — where this idea started.

How it works

Simple on purpose. A neighbor funds a gift card here. We buy it from the store’s own site. Then requests open, and the card goes straight to the person who asked.

A donor funds a gift card here

The card amount, plus a flat $5 fee on top — a $50 card is $55 in total. Asking for food is free.

We buy the card

Bills for the Table buys the gift card from the store’s own site — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI.

Requests open — you pick your store

When requests open, each person who needs food picks the store their gift card comes from, and an amount: $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount.

The card goes straight to them

We send the card by text or email — the full amount, every time.

The plain facts

Please read this before you fund a gift card — and before requests open.

  • Donors first. The first gift cards are being stocked now. Food requests open as soon as the first cards are funded.
  • Asking for food is free. Asking for food is free. The person asking is the one with nothing — charging them to ask would be backwards. Donors cover a flat $5 on top of the card, and that’s what keeps this site running.
  • Only 3 requests at a time. When requests open, we take 3 at a time — when those 3 are filled or closed, we take the next 3.
  • Four stores, your amount. Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI — $25, $50, $75, $100, or another amount.
  • A clear answer, every time. Once requests open, every request gets a clear answer within 2 days.
  • Need food today? 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. We buy the gift card from the store’s own site and send it by text or email — the full amount reaches the person who asked. The donor’s flat $5 fee sits on top, never taken out of the card. Not a registered nonprofit; gifts are not tax-deductible. Donor checkout is open now — fund a card in the donor section below.
  • An optional tip — only if a donor wants to. Any amount on top — or no tip at all. Never required, always separate.
  • Thank you, or stay anonymous — the donor chooses. 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 a message.

Our first goal

First goal: stock 10 gift cards — then requests open.

Ten stocked cards mean the first ten people who ask meet a card already funded.

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, Bills for the Paws, 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. Plenty of neighbors feel it too — a check that runs out before the month does, while the kids still need breakfast.

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 neighbor funding a grocery gift card, and that card going straight into the hands of a person who needs food, in full.

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 through this page, that story will be shared here — in that person’s own words, with their permission.
  • Privacy: A person’s request details are shared only with a matched donor, with that person’s permission. Never share account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details here.

What a grocery card covers

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

Based in Macomb, Michigan — helping people in Michigan and across the United States. Same at every store: a donor pays on this site (card amount plus a flat $5 fee on top), we buy the card from the store’s own site, and the full card amount reaches the person who asked.

Need food? Requests open soon

Requests are not open yet — donors are stocking the first gift cards first. When requests open, you pick the store your gift card comes from:

  • KrogerYour pick — groceries and fresh food
  • MeijerYour pick — groceries and household basics
  • WalmartYour pick — food plus household basics
  • ALDIYour pick — prices that stretch a card a long way

Amounts: $25, $50, $75, $100 — or another amount. When requests open, we take 3 requests at a time and answer within 2 days.

Asking for food is free. The person asking is the one with nothing — charging them to ask would be backwards. Donors cover a flat $5 on top of the card, and that’s what keeps this site running.

Need food today?

  • Dial 211 — free, local food help, right now.
  • Try a local food pantry — many serve the same day.
  • Look into SNAP food benefits through Michigan Bridges.
  • Never hand cash to anyone for a gift card — requests only happen here, on this site.

For the people who can buy a gift card

If you have the means, this is where it starts: donors fund the first grocery gift cards now, so the first requests can open with cards already stocked.

No cash, ever. We never accept or receive cash. Every gift card is paid for right here on this site — and bought from the store’s own site.

What you’re being asked to do

  • Fund a card now — pick a store and an amount, or give without picking, and your card is stocked for the first person in line when requests open.
  • Pay right here on this site: the gift card amount, plus a separate flat $5 fee on top — a $50 card costs $55 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 — separate from the gift card and the flat $5 fee. The card is the full amount either way.
  • 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 — donors share only a first name, and only if they choose.
  • Every card here starts the same way: a donor funds it. That funding is happening now.

Fund a gift card now

Pick an amount — you pay through Stripe checkout. The full card amount reaches the person who asked; you pay the card plus the flat $5 fee.

$25 gift card$30 in total $50 gift card$55 in total $75 gift card$80 in total $100 gift card$105 in total

Your funded card is stocked now. When requests open, the person asking picks their store — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI — and we buy the card from that store’s own site and send it by text or email. More amounts coming — for now, pick one of the four.

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.

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 or contact detail — 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 fund a gift card” builder below, or in your message — that choice 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: “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 run through the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page for now. 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.

This builder does not post, send, or store anything. Copy your words and post them yourself, if and when you want to. 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. Donors add a flat $5 fee on top of the card, so the card itself stays whole. Asking for food is free.

Asking for food is free — no request fee

No cash, ever. We never accept or receive cash. Every gift card is paid for right here on this site — and bought from the store’s own site.

The full money detail — tap to open

100% of the gift card amount reaches the person

When someone buys a gift card here, we buy that card from the store’s own site the moment the payment clears and send 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 flat $5 fee on top — 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 — people who help here do not get a tax break for that gift. Talk to a tax professional about your own situation.

The flat $5 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 $55 in total — the full $50 card to the person who asked, plus a flat $5 fee that covers checking each request, buying the cards, and keeping the site running. It is always shown before anyone pays, and never taken from the card amount.

Asking for food is free. The person asking is the one with nothing — charging them to ask would be backwards. Donors cover a flat $5 on top of the card, and that’s what keeps this site running. Donor checkout is open now — the fund buttons in the donor section take you to Stripe to pay.

Example: a $50 gift card

The split, shown plainly — the card is the full amount, and the flat $5 fee sits on top.

What it isAmountGoes to
Gift card amount — the full amount reaches the person who asked$50The person who asked, as a gift card
Flat fee (paid by the donor, on top)$5Bills for the Table
Total the donor pays$55
Optional tip — only if the donor chooses, any amount or none (example: $5)$5Bills for the Table

With that example $5 tip, the donor’s total would be $60. With no tip at all, it stays $55 — 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. You can add a tip of any amount on top of the card and the flat $5 fee — or no tip at all. Always your choice, never required, and it never changes the help the person gets: 100% of the card amount still reaches them, in full. A tip is not a tax-deductible donation.

Three more ways to keep this going

Buying a gift card is the heart of this page. These three separate ways keep the lights on — 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 anyone’s gift card. Because Bills for the Table is not a registered nonprofit, a sponsorship is not a tax-deductible gift.

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 first word when requests open and when new requests 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 fund a gift card does it the usual way, plus the flat $5 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 — 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 it as soon as the designs clear review. T-shirts $25, sweatshirts $45, stickers $5. Grand opening: 25% off everything for 14 days from November 8, 2026.

Shop Bills for Good merch

  • Printed and shipped by our print partner when someone orders.
  • Four shirt colors: Forest Green, Navy, Black, and White.
  • Every shirt advertises all four sites everywhere it goes.
Flat-lay photo of the Bills for the Table merch in deep forest green: a folded t-shirt and a folded hooded sweatshirt, each printed with the gold grocery-bag-and-heart logo and the words Bills for the Table, next to a round white sticker with the same logo in gold
The full set, pictured in Forest Green: t-shirt, sweatshirt, and sticker.
Folded deep forest green Bills for the Table t-shirt with the gold grocery-bag-and-heart logo and Bills for the Table printed in white

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 soon.

Folded deep forest green Bills for the Table hooded sweatshirt with the gold grocery-bag-and-heart logo and Bills for the Table printed in white

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 soon.

Round Bills for the Table sticker in gold and white with the grocery-bag-and-heart logo

Sticker

$5

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 soon.

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.

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 just writes your message — copy it and send it to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page for now. Nothing is charged, and merch is in the shop now.

This builder does not send, store, sign you up, or charge anything. New openings are announced on this page and the Facebook Page first.

Get started — in your own words

Two short message builders, in your own words. Nothing here sends or stores anything — copy your words and paste them wherever you reach out.

I need food — requests open soon

Requests are not open yet. This builder lets you say your store pick early, in your own words, so you are ready the day requests open.

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 fund a gift card

You pick this at checkout, or tell us here. 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.

More amounts coming — for now, pick one of the four.

A small tip goes a long way — it keeps the lights on here so the next fridge can get filled. Completely optional, separate from the gift card and the flat $5 fee, and never taken out of the card.

Donor checkout is open. Pick an amount above and the button takes you to Stripe: a $50 gift card costs $55 in total — the full $50 card, plus the flat $5 fee on top. Copy your message first if you want your store pick and thank-you choice to travel with your gift. An optional tip, if you add one, is paid the same way.

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, donor messages go to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page.

Page name

Use this exact name everywhere.

Bills for the Table

About section

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

Donors are funding the first grocery gift cards now. Once the first cards are stocked, food requests open — and each 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.

So I started Bills for the Table — the sister project to Bills for the Brave, Bills for the Paws, and Bills for Seniors. Donors first: neighbors fund grocery gift cards on our site — Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI. We buy each card from the store's own site and stock it. Then food requests open, and each card goes straight to the person who asked, by text or email, in full.

I'm the founder — I started this for other people, not to put myself first in line.

Right now we are stocking the first cards: if you can fund a gift card, message this Page. If you need food, requests open as soon as the first cards are funded — watch this Page, and if you need food today, dial 211.

Please never send account numbers, Social Security numbers, bank details, or health details in a message. And 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 only if you want to. First version: the donor shared their first name. Second version: the donor stayed anonymous — 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

These steps come before the first gift card is sent — listed here so nobody has to take it on trust.

  • Stripe links — donor checkout only: donors pay the gift card amount plus a flat $5 fee on top — and any optional tip — through the gift-card checkout links in the donor section. Asking for food is free, so there is no request link and no request fee. The donor checkout links are live. 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 the moment a donor’s payment clears, then sent to the person 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.
  • Get tax and legal advice: confirm how gifts and fees should be handled — before money moves.
  • Set up the sponsors and merch: local businesses can sponsor all four Bills for Good sites (Community Sponsor $25 a month, Hometown Sponsor $50 a month), and Bills for Good merch is sold through our print partner (t-shirt $25, sweatshirt $45, sticker $5 — print-on-demand, no upfront inventory). Merch is a purchase, not a donation. The merch shop is open at bills-for-good.myspreadshop.com; sponsorships are not live yet. Merch and sponsor money keep the sites running — never gift-card money.
  • Create the Bills for the Table Facebook Page with the name and wording above. Still to be created — until it exists, donor messages go to the Bills for the Brave Facebook Page.
  • Build the app version: a separate installable app for phones. 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.

Why donors first?

Because a stocked card is real help. Donors fund the first grocery gift cards first; then requests open, and people are matched to cards that already exist. First goal: stock 10 gift cards.

When do food requests open?

As soon as the first gift cards are funded. The opening will be announced here and on the Facebook Page. If you need food today, dial 211 — do not wait on us.

Which store can I pick?

Yours. When requests open, you pick the store your gift card comes from: Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, or ALDI. Amounts are $25, $50, $75, $100 — or another amount.

Who can ask for a gift card?

Anyone who needs food — no age limits, no veteran limits. Asking for food is free. The person asking is the one with nothing — charging them to ask would be backwards. Donors cover a flat $5 on top of the card, and that’s what keeps this site running. We take 3 requests at a time and 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 — when you ask, you tell us 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.

Do you take cash?

No cash, ever. We never accept or receive cash. Every gift card is paid for right here on this site — and bought from the store’s own site.

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.

Can I give without picking a person?

Yes — that is exactly how the first cards are being stocked. Your card is held for the first person in line when requests open. You still choose the store and the amount, and the card goes straight to that person, in full.

Why is there a flat $5 fee for donors?

So the gift card itself stays whole. Asking for food is free — there is no request fee. The donor pays the card amount plus a flat $5 fee on top, paid to Bills for the Table — for example, a $50 gift card costs the donor $55 in total: the full $50 card goes to the person who asked, plus a flat $5 fee for Jerry’s time checking each request, buying the cards, and keeping the site going. The $5 covers checking each request and keeping this site running. 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.

Where else can I get food help today?

Dial 211 for local food help, try a local food pantry, and look into SNAP food benefits through Michigan Bridges. Please use them — do not wait on us alone.

What should I never share?

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