Giant Food of Landover, Md. is launching its 24th annual Good Neighbor Food and Funds Drive to help stock the shelves of five regional food banks this holiday season. The annual hunger relief program gives customers the opportunity to help families in need by donating non-perishable food items or by making a monetary contribution at their neighborhood Giant Food. The Good Neighbor Food and Funds Drive program will take place in all 173 Giant Food locations October 28 through November 20, 2011.
The Good Neighbor program makes it easy for Giant customers to support their local food bank by adding $1, $5, or $10 to their grocery bill at registers during check out. Additionally, each Giant store will have a collection cart where customers can donate non-perishable food items. Some of the food banks’ most-needed items include canned meats, peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauce, macaroni and cheese, instant potatoes, rice, dry beans, dry cereal and oatmeal, canned fruits and vegetables, and 100 percent fruit juice. Customers who donate $10 at Baltimore area-stores will receive a Ravens tailgating reusable bag, and those who make a $10 donation at all other stores will receive a Giant reusable bag. Both food and monetary donations help feed thousands of community members.
“Over the course of our 75 year history, Giant has remained committed to alleviating hunger in our community, and we have a long history of raising awareness about hunger during the holiday months. Through the Good Neighbor Food and Funds Drive, we are working to make a difference and helping people in our region keep food on their tables,” said Anthony Hucker, president, Giant Food of Landover, Md. “In our twenty-fourth year of the Good Neighbor Food and Funds Drive, we hope that with the help of our generous customers, we can make 2011 another successful campaign and help alleviate hunger in our community.”
As a result of the 2010 Good Neighbor program, Giant donated more than $253,000 to the Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, providing more than 750,000 meals to those in need. The need of food banks across the region continues to grow and Giant hopes to surpass 2010 numbers.
The Good Neighbor Food and Funds Drive is the first of several Giant initiatives to help alleviate hunger in the region this holiday season. The 10th annual Giant “Stuff-A-Truck” will take place at four Washington-area stores on December 2 to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank.
During September, Hunger Action Month, Giant hosted three “Stuff-A-Truck” events at Charlottesville, Va., Bear, Del., and Fredericksburg, Va. stores to benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware and the Frede icksburg Area Food Bank. As a result of the initiatives combined, more than 12,000 pounds of food were donated to help alleviate hunger.
