The Feeding America charity organization received more than $500,000 from Food Lion customers and associates, who donated money at supermarket checkouts in April 2012 as part of the "Hunger Has a Cure" Campaign, announced the food store franchise in a press release on Tuesday.
Money donated, even as low as $1 or $3 at checkouts, from Food Lion's customers between April 4 through April 17, went to support Feeding Amercia, which would use the donations to feed over 3.7 million people and families of low-income and in-need status. Those among the starving Americans the foundation would help included 14 million children and three million senior citizens, according to the press release issued by Food Lion.
"We are ecstatic about the more than 3.7 million meals that we were able to provide to families in need," Bill Garcia, manager of community relations for Food Lion, was commented as saying for the press release. "We are proud to work with Feeding America to help eliminate hunger in our communities."
Upon the completion of the charity campaign, Food Lion announced that 75 percent of the proceeds, more than $375,000, would "be distributed to local Feeding America food banks in the Food Lion footprint where the funds were raised." The remaining 25 percent has been set to be donated to the national Feeding America organization, which would, said the press release, provide eight meals to hungry families per every dollar donated.
The top five fundraising areas will, according to Food Lion, receive an additional $5,000 from the food company for their outstanding contributions and support to Feeding America. The venues, as listed in the press release include: the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C., Maryland Food Bank in Baltimore, Md., Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Inc., in Verona, Va., Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank in Salem, Va., and Feedmore Central Virginia Food Bank in Richmond, Va.
The total proceeds made by the "Hunger Has a Cure" campaign in 2012 surpassed the $440,000 raised in 2011 by Food Lion to support Feeding America, which provided 1.4 million pounds of food for individuals and families requiring food and nourishment.
