SALISBURY, NC - What’s the use of a wide-ranging network if you don’t wield it to your advantage? Food Lion is one company making sure it takes advantage of its influential network, recently announcing that it will donate 9.5 million meals to Feeding America® partner food banks throughout its 10-state footprint. Through The Faces of Hope campaign, Food Lion aims to help support kids and families impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This widespread, far-reaching effort will impact local communities across Food Lion’s 10-state service area and assist its 30 Feeding America partner food banks in meeting unprecedented demand as a result of the pandemic.

“Already on the frontlines of ensuring all of our neighbors receive the nourishment they need, our food bank partners are now faced with new challenges from COVID-19 such as increased demand for food, transportation, and volunteer shortages,” said Meg Ham, President. “At Food Lion, we’re proud to work with these incredible organizations every day, and we’re committed to continuing to help ease the additional burden felt by our food bank partners and ensure they can feed families counting on them for their next meal.”

According to a press release, this latest effort continues Food Lion’s goal of caring for the towns and cities it serves. Earlier this year, Food Lion donated more than $3.6 million to community partners to provide COVID-19 relief, including $3.1 million to food bank and medical research partners, and $500,000 in a partnership to support schools feeding children in need during the summer.

“Nourishing our neighbors is core to everything we do at Food Lion, and we recognize that this is an incredibly difficult time for many,” said Ham. “Our neighbors are counting on us more than ever and we will do our part to bring meals and hope to families in need.”

The Faces of Hope campaign has multiple elements to assist food bank partners including volunteerism, funding to increase transportation capacity, and resources to support new school feeding distribution models.

Starting this month and running through the end of 2020, this latest Food Lion Feeds effort includes four key components to nourish the company’s neighbors:

• Hope for the Future: Provide $25 Food Lion gift cards in partnership with school backpack programs to ensure kids and their families have resources to buy food during this critical time. The donation will equal 4,750,000 meals
• Filling Children’s Bellies: Donate funds to food bank partners with existing childhood hunger feeding programs to provide meals directly to children in vulnerable communities. The donation will equal 1,250,000 meals
• Turning the Wheels: Donate trucks, drivers, and volunteers to help food banks pack and move more food, increasing access to food for neighbors. The donation will equal 3,500,000 meals
• The Great Pantry Makeover: Donate food to local feeding agencies. The donation will equal 3,500,000 meals

Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer’s hunger-relief platform, Food Lion has donated more than 500 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. Food Lion has committed to donate one billion more meals by 2025.

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Food Lion