Food Lion Charitable Foundation and Western Union Foundation Donate $200,000 to Help Alleviate Child Hunger and Promote Academic Enrichment

Nine food banks to receive critical funding for programs to provide children with nutritious food

CHICAGO, Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Feeding America announced today that the Food Lion Charitable Foundation and the Western Union Foundation have again joined forces to support programs that enrich the lives of children by donating a total of $200,000 to Feeding America and nine of its member food banks.

The Food Lion Charitable Foundation's contribution is in support of addressing child hunger, while the educational component is funded by the Western Union Foundation. The grant focuses on students in the communities that Food Lion and Western Union serve.

Food Lion Charitable Foundation President Kyle Price and Western Union Senior Vice President Carter Hunt presented checks to representatives from the respective food banks during a special presentation on October 12 at the Food Lion corporate offices in Salisbury, N.C.

"Food Lion has a long-standing partnership with Feeding America in an effort to fight hunger," said Price. "The Food Lion Charitable Foundation provides hundreds of grants each year to support important hunger-relief programs at agencies across our operating markets. We hope this contribution will help further the Feeding America mission and help these food banks to continue to make a difference in the fight to end child hunger."

Although food insecurity is harmful to any individual, it can be particularly devastating among children due to their increased vulnerability and the potential for long-term consequences.  According to research, children growing up in food-insecure families are vulnerable to poor health and stunted development from the earliest stages of life.

The nine food banks in the Feeding America network that are recipients of the donation employ a variety of innovative approaches to provide nutritious food and nutrition education to children and adults in the communities.

The Feeding America food banks grant recipients are: Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (Raleigh, NC), Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia (Norfolk, VA), Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina (Winston-Salem, NC), Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula (Hampton, VA), Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (Charlotte, N.C), FeedMore, Inc. (dba Central Virginia Food Bank), (Richmond, Va), Capital Area Food Bank (Washington, D.C), Lowcountry Food Bank (North Charleston, SC) and Harvest Hope Food Bank (Greenville, SC).

Specifically, the grant donations will support Feeding America's Kids Cafe programs at each of the food banks. For example, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina has 42 Kids Cafe sites in 12 different counties in North Carolina and South Carolina. 

"With 170,000 children living in poverty in the Metrolina Region, the support of Food Lion and Western Union is so important in ensuring we meet our number one goal of ending child hunger in our 19 county service region of North and South Carolina," said Kay Carter, Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. "We are very grateful that these amazing companies share our concern for making sure every child has healthy nutritious meals and snacks through the Kids Cafe Program."

Established in 2001, the Food Lion Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry in the communities it serves.

"It's hard to imagine that in the land of plenty there are nearly 17 million children at risk of going hungry," said Matt Knott, interim President and CEO of Feeding America, the nation's leading anti-hunger organization. "We are so grateful to have generous partners like the Food Lion Charitable Foundation and the Western Union Foundation for helping us make sure that every child have enough to eat."

Luella Chavez D'Angelo, Senior Vice President, Western Union Social Ventures, and President, Western Union Foundation, said, "The Western Union Foundation is proud to support the educational programs of Feeding America. Education is one of the surest paths to financial opportunity, and uniquely empowers people to make a lasting difference in the world."

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., is a company of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG) and operates more than 1,100 supermarkets. The company employs approximately 58,000 associates delivering quality products, low prices and service to customers in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.

About The Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better world, where the ability to realize dreams through economic opportunity is not just a privilege for the few but a right for all. With the support of The Western Union Company, its employees, Agents, and business partners, The Western Union Foundation works to realize this vision by supporting education and disaster relief efforts as pathways toward a better future. Our combined social ventures efforts make life better for individuals, families and communities around the world. Since its inception, The Western Union Foundation has committed more than $81.7 million in grants and other giving to more than 2,551 nongovernmental organizations in more than 124 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.westernunionfoundation.org.

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
As part of Feeding America, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina – serves 19 counties in North and South Carolina.  In FY2011-2012, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina distributed over 38 million pounds of food and essential grocery items to over 600 hunger feeding agencies.  Agencies served include emergency pantries, soup kitchens, senior programs, shelters and low-income daycares.

Contact: Ross Fraser, 312-641-6422

SOURCE Feeding America