Greeley, Colo. – Weld Food Bank announced Thursday, January 15, 2015 its recent grant of $25,000 from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program to assist with their Mobile Food Pantry Program. This grant will positively impact the local community by providing funding to ensure that the Mobile Food Pantry can distribute fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year to hungry individuals living in food deserts throughout Weld County.
“Last year, Weld Food Bank distributed 1.4 million pounds of fresh, perishable foods from the Mobile Food Pantry alone,” said Bob O’Connor, Executive Director of Weld Food Bank. “The mobile pantry allows us to take food directly to Weld County communities with the highest need. And thanks to great community partners like Walmart, we are able to serve wholesome foods to families throughout Weld County.”
2014 was the first full year the Weld Food Bank operated its Mobile Food Pantry. The vehicle is on the road serving communities Weld Food Bank has been unable to serve in the past due to location. With help from corporate partners like Walmart, the Mobile Food Pantry was able to provide 61 distribution stops to provide food to the 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children in Weld County who will be hungry this year.
“Through organizations like Weld Food Bank, together we are making real progress toward relieving hunger,” said Jeffrey Plumb, Greeley Walmart store manager. “We’re proud to partner with Weld Food Bank and support their Mobile Food Pantry to continue to ensure adults and children in Weld County have immediate access to fresh food.”
The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S. To be considered for support, perspective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.
As part of Walmart’s $2 billion commitment to fight hunger through 2015, Walmart stores in Colorado donated 9.6 million pounds of food, in fiscal year 2013, or the equivalent of 8 million meals. In fact, Walmart reached $260 million in cash and $2.6 billing in in-kind donations nationwide, delivering on its commitment one year early. Additionally, just in the last fiscal year, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave $19.3 million to Colorado nonprofits. For more information on Walmart’s fight against hunger, visit http://foundation.walmart.com/our-focus/hunger.
About
Weld Food Bank
Weld Food Bank is a member of Feeding America and
was founded in 1982. Weld Food Bank’s mission is to lead and engage our
community in the fight against hunger, distributing 11.1 million pounds of food
last fiscal year through their 101 nonprofit partner agencies and through seven
direct service programs which include Kids Cafe, the Backpack Program, Summer
Feeding, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, the Mobile Food Pantry, and
Emergency Food Boxes. On average Weld Food Bank serves over 35,000 individuals
each year. For more info please visit www.weldfoodbank.org.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the
Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through
philanthropic efforts that draw on the strengths of Walmart in the arenas of
sustainability, economic opportunity, and community. As part of our commitment
to creating a more sustainable food system worldwide, Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States. They
recently exceeded a $2 billion goal to fight hunger one year ahead of schedule
and have donated more than 1.5 billion pounds of food to those in need across
the country. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit www.foundation.walmart.com.
###