CARLISLE, Pa. – GIANT Food Stores and MARTIN’S Food Markets today kicked off their signature hunger-relief campaign “Bag Hunger” with a GIANT One-Day Give in partnership with 31 food banks across Pennsylvania and Maryland. A total of $155,000 in gift cards is being donated by GIANT/MARTIN’S to help organizations provide healthy meals for those in need.
To commence the One-Day Give, GIANT/MARTIN’S President Tom Lenkevich delivered gift card donations on behalf of the company to five hunger relief organizations at the GIANT in Enola, Cumberland County. The five Central PA organizations – Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Perry County Food Bank, Project SHARE, and Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital Region – were given $5,000 each. Similar donations occurred simultaneously at 26 other GIANT/MARTIN’S.
“During this time of the year when donations aren’t as robust, we wanted to make sure that our food bank partners could immediately restock their shelves with the basics,” said Lenkevich. “This GIANT One-Day Give kicks off our Bag Hunger in-store donation campaign, where our customers and associates donate so generously to help our neighbors in need.”
From Feb. 26 through March 11, customers can donate to their local food bank at any GIANT/MARTIN’S checkout through the grocers’ annual Bag Hunger in-store campaign. During last fall’s Bag Hunger campaign, $550,888 was raised to support local and regional food banks in four states.
The following organizations are receiving $5,000 in GIANT/MARTIN’S gift cards today:
• Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, Allentown, PA
• Bloomsburg Food Cupboard, Bloomsburg, PA
• Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick, Harrisburg, PA
• Catholic Social Services Inc., Hazleton, PA
• Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Harrisburg PA
• Coatesville Community Food Co-Op, Coatesville, PA
• Elijah’s Bowl (First Presbyterian Church), Sunbury, PA
• Food Bank of State College, State College, PA
• Friend, Inc. Food Pantry, Kutztown, PA
• Fulton County Food Basket, McConnellsburg, PA
• God’s Meal Barrel, Hanover, PA
• Hanover Area Council of Churches, Hanover, PA
• Huntingdon Area Food Pantry, Huntingdon, PA
• ICCAP, Indiana, PA
• The Kennedy House, Reading, PA
• Kennett Area Community Service Food Cupboard, Kennett Square, PA
• Kings Kettle Food Pantry, Shippensburg, PA
• Mount Joy Community Food Bank, Mount Joy, PA
• Nazareth Area Food Bank, Nazareth, PA
• New Jerusalem Church Food Bank, Bethlehem, PA
• Perry County Food Bank, New Bloomfield, PA
• Phoenixville Area Community Services, Phoenixville, PA
• Project SHARE, Carlisle, PA
• Ray of Hope Mission Center, Port Deposit, MD
• Salvation Army Capitol Region, Harrisburg, PA
• Salvation Army West Chester, West Chester, PA
• Shared Services/Shelter Services, Lewistown, PA
• St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, Scranton, PA
• St. Vincent DePaul Assumption Chapel Food Pantry, Altoona, PA
• St.Vincent DePaul Society of St. Catherine of Siena, Horsham, PA
• West Chester Food Cupboard, West Chester, PA
According to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, $1 is enough to provide 6 meals to people who depend on their services. Today’s total donation will enable recipient organizations to provide more than 930,000 healthy and nutritious meals. GIANT/MARTIN’S also hopes to raise awareness that following the holiday season, food donations are generally lower and pantry shelves are at risk of being empty.
As part of its ongoing better neighbor efforts, GIANT/MARTIN’S is committed to supporting the communities that it serves and especially the fight against hunger. In 2016, GIANT/MARTIN’S donated more than $12 million to approximately 100 hunger relief agencies through customer, vendor and corporate support. Part of that effort included its signature Meat the Needs program which delivered more than one million pounds of safe, nutritious and much needed meat to regional food banks and pantries for families in need.
Source: GIANT/MARTIN’s
