Salisbury, North Carolina-based Food Lion is helping to provide 246,000 meals – three meals for a full day of nourishment on behalf of each of its 82,000 associates.
The donation is to recognize Supermarket Employee Day, which is part of a national effort to honor frontline grocery workers. The donated meals will help Feeding America, the company’s national hunger-relief partner, in its ongoing mission to end hunger.
“Our 82,000 associates are committed to nourishing their neighbors and setting them up for success, and it’s important that we take time to share our appreciation for everything they do,” said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. “Eliminating difficult choices between gas and groceries and dinner and rent is part of what drives us.
“Many associates work every day to select food donations from their store to distribute to local feeding agencies and ultimately neighbors in need. This is personal to us, and that’s why we’re donating a complete day of nourishment in our associates’ honor to support their commitment to the towns and cities they serve,” she said.
“With more than 38 million people facing hunger, Feeding America is grateful to Food Lion for their continuous commitment to help provide meals to families who are struggling to put food on their tables,” said Lauren Biedron, VP of corporate partnerships for Feeding America. “We appreciate Food Lion associates and their efforts to help communities in need as we celebrate them on Supermarket Employee Day.”
Each of Food Lion’s more than 1,100 stores participates in its food rescue program, where each store donates excess food to a local feeding agency. Food Lion helped create the food rescue program more than 20 years ago in partnership with Feeding America. In 2021, more than 52 million meals* were donated through the Food Rescue program.
Food Lion Feeds has reported that the company donated the equivalent of 152 million meals in 2021. The company also recently donated $50,000 to FAKH for tornado rebuilding efforts in Kentucky. To read this story by The Shelby Report, click here.
Since 2014, Food Lion has donated more than 900 million meals through a combination of product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; capital campaign support for feeding agencies; and volunteer hours by associates, based on various meal equivalent formulas.
Food Lion has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has donated more than 900 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. The company is a division of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize.
For more information, visit foodlion.com.
