The Giant Co. kicks off annual Feeding School Kids initiative

The Giant Co. says its Feeding School Kids initiative has returned for a fifth year. Customers at Giant, Martin’s and Giant Heirloom Market stores an round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, buy a reusable bag or convert their Choice points into a donation for local public school districts’ food programs now through March 31, according to a news release.

“School food programs are crucial when it comes to fighting student hunger by helping to ensure children have regular access to nutritious food during school, on weekends and during school breaks,” said Courtney Hopcraft, manager of community relations and charitable giving for The Giant Co. “To date, The Giant Co. and our customers have donated more than $7.6 million through this initiative. Continuing this program for a fifth year will allow local schools to earn more needed funds to address food insecurity and nourish school children in need.”

To launch the program, The Giant Co. said it will donate $100,000. Through Feeding School Kids, public school districts have been able to support meal programs and address food insecurity from supplying backpacks with weekend food to clearing outstanding student lunch debt to building on-campus food pantries and establishing garden programs, the release said.

In 2024, for example, Pennsylvania's Colonial School District served approximately 8,000 students with meals over the summer months to bridge the nutrition gap between when school ended and began again; the DuBois Area School District provided additional snacks for 1,100 students who participate in the free school breakfast and lunch program; the Central Dauphin School District provided 2,000 students with weekly nutri-packs for dinner, weekends and school breaks; the Cumberland Valley School District used the funds to replace a cafeteria steamer that is a necessity in their school kitchen; and the Eastern York School District covered negative student lunch balances and provided nutritious breakfasts to students on state-mandated testing days, positively impacting 2,200 students, the release said.

“NutriPacks is a volunteer organization committed to helping students in the Central Dauphin School District have access to nutritious food on the weekends and school breaks so that hunger is not a barrier to their academic success. Because of donations and grants received during the 2023-24 school year, NutriPacks was able to serve 800 students each week,” said Sandra Brooks, director for Central Dauphin School District NutriPacks program. “The lives of our most vulnerable children in the Central Dauphin community have been positively changed because of the generosity of our community partners, such as The Giant Co.”