Walmart Foundation donates $75K to Conn. Food Bank

The Connecticut Food Bank has received a $75,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to fund the infrastructure that will allow the food bank’s partner agencies to secure and distribute more nutritious food to families in need.

The grant will support investments in the equipment necessary to handle perishable products, such as refrigerated vehicles; coolers and freezers for transporting, storing and distributing food; thermometers and temperature calibration devices; among other items.

“One in eight people struggle with hunger in Connecticut, including more than 127,000 children,” said Connecticut Food Bank CEO Bernie Beaudreau, in a written statement.

“We are thankful to the Walmart Foundation for helping to ensure that people who struggle with hunger have access to nutrient-rich food. This grant will go a long way in helping the Connecticut Food Bank and our partner agencies provide much-needed food to hungry neighbors in the six Connecticut counties we serve.”

Beaudreau said 57 programs in the Connecticut Food Bank’s six-county service area received refrigeration equipment through the grant. “It’s a tremendous capacity builder for programs,” he said.

According to the USDA, more than 42 million people nationwide may not know where they will find their next meal.

In the Connecticut Food Bank six-county service area, nearly 300,000 residents are food insecure.

To learn more about what the Connecticut Food Bank is doing to fight hunger, visit www.ctfoodbank.org.