Wal-Mart Donates 35,000 Pounds of Food to the Vermont Foodbank in Response to a Nationwide Food Shortage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Judy Stermer, Vermont Foodbank, 802-477-4108
Shannon Frederick, Wal-Mart, 1-800-331-0085
Wal-Mart Donates 35,000 Pounds of Food to the Vermont Foodbank in Response to a Nationwide Food Shortage
Barre, VT, January 7, 2007 – Responding to a nationwide food and grocery shortage in food banks this holiday season, Wal-Mart made a donation of 3 million meals, the equivalent of $1 million, to America’s Second Harvest – the nation’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization. The majority of the donation comes in the form of 50 food-filled trucks being dispatched to food banks servicing every state in the nation.
Wal-Mart was alerted to the food shortage through a call to action sent out by its philanthropic partner America’s Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. The first corporation in the country to respond to the request, the retailer’s contribution will supply more than 25 percent of the nearly 12 million meals needed in order to stave off the shortage.
“The hunger crisis our nation’s food banks are currently facing is something that all of us at Wal-Mart care about and are taking very seriously,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. “We are pleased to be in a position to respond to the call to action from America’s Second Harvest, and hope that this donation will help them to feed those who are hungry this holiday season.”
Because of the national donation, the Vermont Foodbank received nearly 36,000 pounds of food from Wal-Mart. The donation included staples such as macaroni and cheese, and pork and beans as well as corn, green beans and potatoes.
“We are extremely grateful to Wal-Mart for coming through in such a big way for the Vermont Foodbank, especially as we face food shortages and increased in demand for charitable food, said Douglas O’Brien, CEO of the Vermont Foodbank. “This week some 14,500 Vermonters will access the 270 food pantries, meal sites, shelters, senior centers and after-school programs in the Foodbank Network. Today, Wal-Mart’s donation is going right to work— ensuring that no Vermonter goes hungry.”
Personal donations to the Vermont Foodbank can be made online at www.vtfoodbank.org
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About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $270 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org.
About the Vermont Foodbank
Located in Barre, the Vermont Foodbank is Vermont’s only food bank, and serves a network of 270 partners, consisting of food shelves, food pantries, senior centers, shelters, group homes and after-school programs, that assist more than 66,000 Vermonters each year. In 2006, the Vermont Foodbank distributed nearly 6.5 million pounds of food to its Network Partners around the state. Started in 1986, the Vermont Foodbank is a member of America's Second Harvest – The Nation's Food Bank Network (A2HN), the country’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization. For additional information about the Vermont Foodbank or to donate, please visit www.vtfoodbank.org. To volunteer, contact Patrick Gilbert at 802-476-3341, x127.
