Walmart grants $2 billion to end hunger in U.S.
May 13th, 2010 - 12:52 am ICT by BNO NewsWASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – Walmart and the Walmart Foundation announced Wednesday that a $2 billion were committed to support the efforts to help end hunger in America.
The new five-year initiative, “Fighting Hunger Together,” includes the donation of more than 1.1 billion pounds of food, which is valued at $1.75 billion, $250 million in grants, the mobilization of Walmrt associates in customers to benefit their operations, and the collaboration with other organizations that fight hunger, such as the government, food manufacturers, and other corporations.
The Walmart Foundation will be donating a total of $8 million to help U.S. food banks improve capacity and another $10 million to ensure that children across the U.S. are fed healthy meals during the school year and summer months.
“We are genuinely thankful to Walmart for their sustained commitment to fighting domestic hunger,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “With 49 million Americans struggling with hunger, our country is in crisis. Walmart’s multi-year contribution will help give Feeding America and our nationwide network of more than 200 food banks the latitude to more effectively serve the 37 million people who turn to us every year for assistance with access to nutritious food that is needed more than ever before. No one should go hungry and we thank Walmart for supporting our mission for a hunger-free America.”
A 2009 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, hunger rates in the U.S. are currently the highest since 1995 with almost 15 percent of households lacking access to an adequate supply of nutritious food.
“Increasingly, we see opportunities to use our scale and reach to solve challenges in our communities. This is one of those times,” said Eduardo Castro-Wright, Walmart’s vice chairman, who announced the company’s plans on Capitol Hill. “By working together, we believe we can reach a day where no individual in this country has to go to bed hungry or worry if there will be food to put on the table tomorrow.”
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