The Giant Co.’s Feeding School Kids initiative makes return

Expanded program supports public school districts’ food programs

The Giant Co. has launched its annual Feeding School Kids initiative to help address food insecurity. This year, the grocer will donate $100,000 to the initiative, which has been expanded to three months. This is the fourth year for the program.

Customers can participate in the effort by rounding up their purchases to the nearest dollar, buying a reusable bag, or converting their CHOICE points into a donation for their local public school districts’ food programs, according to a press release.

“When children are hungry, it can impact their academic success, which is why we partnered with our local public school districts to address and to help eliminate childhood hunger in our communities,” Jessica Groves, community impact manager, The Giant Co., said in a statement.

Over the past three years, Giant, along with its customers and employees, have raised more than $6 million through Feeding School Kids to help support hunger relief efforts both at school and at home, she added.

“This year we are excited to extend the initiative an extra month for schools to raise even more needed funds.”

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 company said.

For example, the Norristown School District in Montgomery County distributed 10,000 meal boxes in the summer containing five breakfasts and five lunches in each box.

“The donations we receive from the Giant Co. have gone directly to our Summer Meal Distribution Program,” David Ludwig, director of food services at Norristown Area School

District. “We have converted a school bus we now call the ‘Nest Express’ to meet our students and families in our community parks. During our summer program we distribute 35,000 breakfasts and 35,000 lunches reaching 1,000 students each week.

“This would not be possible without the district receiving grant funds and donations from organizations like the Giant Co.”

In another example, the grocer shared that York Suburban School District restocked its pantry to double its service to 175 families.

For more information on the Giant Co.’s Feeding School Kids initiative, visit https://go. giantfoodstores.com/eliminating-hunger/p/1.