Food Lion has made a $500,000 donation to help offset the loss of benefits to low-income families resulting from the government shutdown.The Salisbury-based supermarket chain made the donation to food banks across the state, to at least partially replace benefits suspended under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The donation is in the form of gift cards, issued in 5-dollar increments, and will be distributed to food banks in Asheville, Charlotte, Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem, serving counties throughout the state.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Food Lion President Beth Newlands Campbell said, "In North Carolina, one in four children face hunger each day, and parents are forced to make difficult decisions, like buying formula or paying rent, to provide their children with the nutrition they need. We're hopeful that today's donation helps families to make fewer of those tough choices, particularly during this time."
Food Banks that will receive the gift cards include:
- Food Bank of the Albemarle
- Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
- Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
- MANNA Food Bank
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolinan
Kay Carter, Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Board Chair of the North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks, said, "We are grateful for this donation which comes at a critical time as we struggle to find ways to bridge the gap of hunger, and continue putting food on the table for the families we serve."
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