With World Hunger Day approaching on May 28, Food Lion says its philanthropic giving platform, Food Lion Feeds, continues to make strides in minimizing food waste while supplying fresh and nutritious food donations.
Through Food Lion Feeds, the grocer said it has helped provide more than 1.2 billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by next year.
In 2023 alone, 182 million meals were donated to help nourish surrounding communities, according to a news release.
All 1,108 Food Lion stores in 2023 provided more than 69 million pounds through its pioneering food rescue program, the company said. Through this initiative, stores distribute unsold, edible food that might otherwise go to waste to community feeding partners who nourish neighbors experiencing hunger — an effort that also reduces food waste for a sustainable impact, according to the release.
“Working in collaboration with our partner food banks, we are honored to support their efforts to address food insecurity. We are committed to doing our part because everyone deserves access to nutritious food,” Kevin Durkee, manager at Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion said in a March 28 news release.
As a result of inflation, individuals and families are experiencing unforeseen financial adversity and food insecurity, causing many to seek food assistance for the first time, the company said. According to the USDA’s annual report, "Household Food Security in the United States in 2022", food-insecure households in the U.S. increased to 44 million, including 13 million children. That means 1 in 7 individuals — with 1 in 5 being children — don’t know how they’ll afford their next meal. Food Lion Feeds’ partnership with Feeding America ensures neighbors have access to nutritious food, the release said.
Food Lion said it has helped provide more than 100,000 volunteering hours across its footprint.
Those volunteer efforts include sorting and packing events with partner food banks to harvesting potatoes, corn or sweet potatoes that are still good for consumption. During Hunger Action Month in September, Food Lion said associates support their local communities by remodeling and stocking shelves of community food pantries.
Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation has provided more than $18.1 million in grant funding, helping to nourish communities with fresh food for backpack programs, Kids Cafés and other hunger-relief programs as well as funding for long-term programs to help shorten the lines at food banks, the company said.