Harvest Hope Food Bank receives grant from ConAgra Foods foundation to help give kids a hunger-free summer
June 27, 2016
One out of 5 children in South Carolina faces hunger. When schools are closed for summer, kids have less access to nutritious meals as many rely on free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch. This is why Feeding America®, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, and ConAgra Foods Foundation have partnered to provide more meals to kids when they need them most through the Hunger-Free Summer program. Harvest Hope Food Bank, a Feeding America member food bank, is one of 27 food banks that have received a Hunger-Free Summer grant, funded by the ConAgra Foods Foundation.
“Summer can be an especially hard time for families who already are struggling to make ends meet,”
said Denise Holland, CEO of Harvest Hope. “We are thankful to ConAgra Foods Foundation for its support of the Hunger-Free Summer program. Working together, we will be able to support more families in South Carolina by ensuring our children have access to healthy meals.”
When school lets out across the country, 18 million children who rely on free or reduced-price school meals[1] are left without access to the nutritious meals that nourish them during the school year. For the seventh consecutive summer, more than 20 communities across the country will have support to strengthen their summer feeding programs from ConAgra Foods Foundation which has been a dedicated supporter of Feeding America and the fight against child hunger for over 20 years.
“This initiative extends our reach with the Feeding America network and directs support to the organizations that work directly in the communities to impact the significant issue of food insecurity across the country,” says Robert Rizzo, ConAgra Foods Foundation. “Through the distribution of additional summertime meals, we hope to have a positive impact on the lives of children, giving them the fuel they need to grow, learn and play, so that they can reach their full potential.”
The Hunger-Free Summer grant will enable Harvest Hope Food Bank to provide 100,000 more meals to serve even more hungry children this summer. To learn more about summer hunger or find a summer feeding site in your community, visit www.harvesthope.org.
About Harvest Hope Food Bank
Harvest Hope Food Bank serves 20 counties across South Carolina with a mission of providing hunger relief with dignity, compassion and education to people in need. Harvest Hope is a non-profit organization with food banks in Columbia, Florence and Greenville, SC. For more information please visit www.harvesthope.org.
About ConAgra Foods Foundations’ Hunger-Free Summer Grants
This summer, 27 Feeding America food banks in 21 states will receive Hunger-Free Summer grants, funded by the ConAgra Foods Foundation and distributed by Feeding America, to start new or expand existing summer feeding programs. These grants totaling $700,000––ranging from $20,000 to $40,000 each––will allow the food banks to serve food in school libraries during the summer months, provide meals to kindergarteners at summer camp, deliver boxes of food to families in need and beyond.
About ConAgra Foods Foundation
The ConAgra Foods Foundation, through its Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow platform, is dedicated to raising awareness of the nearly 16 million children in America who are at risk of hunger and live in food insecure homes where they may not have enough food to live active, healthful lives. It aggressively pursues sustainable solutions in the fight against child hunger. And the Foundation is committed to building a community of people who are passionate about ensuring that all kids have access to the food and facts they need to eat nutritiously while living balanced lifestyles and succeeding in school and life. ConAgra Foods Foundation invests in national and local partnerships with high-impact, not-for-profit organizations, such as Feeding America and 4H that take an innovative approach to addressing needs in the core areas of hunger and nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.conagrafoods.com or www.facebook.com/conagrafoods. The ConAgra Foods Foundation is primarily funded by ConAgra Foods.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
[1] 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food & Nutrition Service
