Salisbury, North Carolina-based Food Lion Feeds is donating five million meals equaling $500,000 to 11 Feeding America partner food banks throughout its 10-state footprint. ($1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.)
The donations of gift cards, announced during Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month, will assist these food banks in meeting unprecedented demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America estimates that due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, more than 42 million people may experience food insecurity, including a potential 13 million children (up from 10 million children prior to the pandemic).
Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Food Lion Feeds has donated the equivalent of 220 million meals to hunger relief efforts.
“No one should have to choose between paying for dinner or rent, or gas or groceries, but far too many of our neighbors are faced with those impossible decisions every day,” said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. “Our neighbors are counting on us. That’s why we continue to stand with our longstanding community partners to fight hunger and nourish neighbors in the towns and cities we serve.”
The gift cards will allow families to purchase grocery items of their choice and will be distributed at the discretion of the food banks during their upcoming, existing food distributions.
Food banks receiving gift cards through the most recent $500,000 donation include: Food Bank of Delaware (Newark, Delaware), Feeding the Valley Food Bank (Midland, Georgia), Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland (Elizabethtown, Kentucky), Maryland Food Bank (Baltimore, Maryland), MANNA Food Bank (Asheville, North Carolina), Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC (Raleigh, North Carolina), Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (Raleigh, North Carolina), Harvest Hope Food Bank (Greenville, South Carolina), Chattanooga Area Food Bank (Chattanooga, Tennessee), Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (Nashville, Tennessee) and Food Bank of Southeastern VA and the Eastern Shore (Norfolk, Virginia).
Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer’s hunger-relief platform, Food Lion has donated more than 750 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 through a combination of product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; volunteer hours by associates; in-store retail campaigns; and the company’s food rescue program.
For more information on Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to fight hunger, visit foodlion.com/feeds.
Food Lion has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates. It is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize.
