Contact:
Kay Carter, CEO
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
704-375-9639 ext. 16
kcarter@secondharvest.org
Santa Express to Provide Gifts to 15,000 High Need Students
Walmart gives Second Harvest Food Bank $110,000 to Support Distribution of More Healthy Food
(CHARLOTTE, NC) – December 5, 2016 – Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (SHFBM) in partnership with Walmart – who makes more holiday wishes come true than any company in America – kicked off the 2nd annual Santa Express. Santa Express will provide holiday gifts of fresh fruit, toiletries, socks, school supplies, uniforms and other items to 15,000 high need elementary students in 15 different counties.
This collaborative effort between Walmart and SHFBM will spread the holiday cheer and spirit to our less fortunate neighbors. More importantly, the goal is to help one of our most vulnerable demographics – children. There are over 188,000 children in the Charlotte Metro region who struggle with hunger. Families already struggling to put food on the table don’t have extra for gifts for birthdays and holidays. They also often don’t have extra money to pay for fresh fruits and vegetables when grocery shopping and often times have to settle for less expensive options like canned ones.
Along with the kick-off announcement about Santa Express 2016, Walmart presented SHFBM with a check for $110,000 to help pay for some of the coolers and freezers in the new warehouse expansion that is currently underway. The additional cooler and freezer space will allow the Food Bank to accept, store and distribute more fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat to families in need.
“We are so grateful for this generous donation from Walmart. We are very excited about our building expansion and being able to provide more nutritious food for the people we serve”, says Kay Carter, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are the top requested items of people visiting pantries in our service area. More nutritious foods help lead to a healthier lifestyle and helps reduce chronic illness along with exercise. This helps seniors to live independently for a longer time and helps children have the proper nourishment they need to be able to concentrate in the classroom”.
From December 5 – December 16, Walmart and SHFBM will work together on Santa Express to deliver items to elementary schools in the following counties in North and South Carolina: Anson, Burke, Cabarrus, Catawba, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly and Union in NC and Cherokee, Lancaster and York in SC. A full schedule, including dates and times of deliveries, is attached. The number of children receiving gift items is also included.
Members of the media are invited to join the caravan to each school to film and photograph the distribution. This will make for great holiday stories leading up to Christmas.
About Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
As part of Feeding America, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina - serves 19 counties in North and South Carolina. In FY2015-2016, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina distributed over 50 million pounds of food and household items to over 700 hunger feeding agencies, including emergency pantries, soup kitchens, senior programs, shelters and low-income daycares.
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To request a media kit or photos please contact:
D Roseborough at (704) 375-9639, EXT. 11 or droseborough@secondharvest.org
Marketing/Media/News Contact