Food Lion Hunger Relief Day to Be Held at NC State Fair

5 Cans of Food = Free Admission

On Thursday, October 23, those attending the NC State Fair will receive free admission into the fair with a donation of five cans of Food Lion branded items. Food Lion Hunger Relief Day benefits the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and its sister food banks around the state. Since 2004, this partnership with Food Lion and the NC State Fair has resulted in donations of more than 1.6 million meals (over 2 million pounds of food).

More than 400 volunteers work each gate at the fair to collect donations throughout the day. Last year fairgoers donated more than 204,000 meals (or 243,005 pounds).

The goal for this year’s Food Lion Hunger Relief Day is to raise 210,000 meals (or 250,000 pounds). However, Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler has issued a challenge to the community to raise even more food for our hungry neighbors.

If this year’s goal is met, the N.C. State Fair will donate $1,000 to the Food Bank. If donations reach 275,000 pounds, the Fair will donate $2,500. Should donations total 300,000 pounds or more, $5,000 will be donated.

In addition, Food Lion has donated two tractor trailers to the Food Bank, branded with the Food Lion Feeds logo. This generous donation will be a huge boost to our daily fleet operations, providing greater flexibility and additional options to get more food to those individuals and families that are food insecure in our service area.

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC distributes food to more than 651,000 individuals in their 34 County service area who live in food insecure households and struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life.

Based in Raleigh, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina serves 34 counties in the central and eastern part of the state through six warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, Southern Pines and Wilmington and is one of seven Feeding America food banks in the state.

Attachments:

FoodBankFoodLionGroup.jpg – Food Bank President/CEO Peter Werbicki, Commissioner Steve Troxler, Priscilla Webb Manager Food Lion Distribution Center, Mike Hall Food Lion Director of Operations for Raleigh and Henderson, N.C.

FoodLionFeedsTruck.jpeg – Mike Hall and Priscilla Webb with Food Lion stand in front of one of the donated tractor trailer trucks.

About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for more than 30 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2013-2014, the Food Bank distributed more than 53 million pounds of food and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, more than 651,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life. www.foodbankcenc.org.

About Food Lion

Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, now has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Food Lion is a company of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.

About Food Lion Feeds

For more than 50 years, Food Lion has been a strong philanthropic partner in the communities it serves. As a grocer, Food Lion’s business is food. The company believes that no one should have to choose between dinner and paying rent or gasoline and buying groceries. Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion is working to create a better tomorrow by uniting with customers and partners to eliminate the choices families are forced to make when they are hungry. By the end of 2020, the company has pledged to provide 500 million meals to families in need in its local communities. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com/feeds.

 

Contact:

Food Lion
Jennifer Caslin, (919) 865-3063
jcaslin@foodbankcenc.org
or
Benny Smith, (704) 310-4077
]blsmith@foodlion.com