Walmart and Sam's Club Donate $1.1 Million to Feeding America for Hurricane Florence Relief

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Sep 21, 2018, 11:38 ET

CHICAGO, Sept. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the generosity of Walmart and Sam's Club customers, the Walmart 2018 Hurricane Relief Fund at Foundation For The Carolinas has contributed $1.1 million to Feeding America® today to help areas impacted by Hurricane Florence. Funds will be used to help the hundreds of thousands of children, families and seniors recovering from the disaster.

"Feeding America is incredibly grateful for Walmart's support of communities impacted by Hurricane Florence. Natural disasters devastate families and communities and it's critical that we provide prompt assistance when they need it most," said Matt Knott, President of Feeding America. "With this donation we will be able to meet the increased need and help get even more food and supplies to communities in affected areas."

In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, Feeding America member food banks in the Southeast—including Lowcountry Food Bank, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina and others—are distributing disaster relief boxes in their communities. Additionally, Feeding America has provided nearly 2.2 million pounds of food, water and supplies to responding food banks.

"As our neighbors in the Carolinas continue to recover, we are proud to support organizations on the frontline, providing critical support," said Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Walmart. "Thanks to the generosity of our customers we fully met our match. The funds from Walmart and Walmart customers will immediately assist communities with response and sheltering while investing in essential long-term recovery across the Carolinas."

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are long-standing partners of Feeding America. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation represent one of Feeding America's largest donors, and Fight Hunger. Spark Change. is its largest cause marketing program. The 2018 program helped to provide more than 230 million meals to people who face hunger.

The Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks reaches every county in the United States—making it uniquely prepared to respond in the event of a disaster. Within hours, food banks are able to quickly deploy trucks and other solutions to help in communities in need. From preparing for disasters before they hit, to responding during the disaster, to supporting families and communities through recovery, the Feeding America network offers food and hope for families as they seek to return to normalcy.

For more information about Feeding America disaster relief efforts, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/disaster-food-assistance/.

About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Contact
Zuani Villarreal
Feeding America
(312) 641-6532

SOURCE Feeding America