Middle Georgia Community Food Bank receives Kroger grant to help feed children
The food bank is one of eight nonprofit organizations receiving funding from Kroger's "Kick Hunger to the Sidelines" campaign, which raised $128,000 across Georgia, eastern Alabama and South Carolina.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Many children across Middle Georgia will continue receiving meals outside the classroom thanks to a new grant awarded to the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
Customers donated by rounding up their purchases at checkout between June 1 and July 31, helping the campaign exceed its original $50,000 goal by more than two-and-a-half times.
The Middle Georgia Community Food Bank will use its share of the funding to strengthen childhood hunger programs as students head back to school.
“This recent grant that we are to receive from Kroger will specifically help our childhood hunger programs, and chief among those is our backpack program that’s getting in gear as school starts up,” said Kathy McCollum, president and CEO of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
McCollum said many children rely on free breakfast and lunch during the school week, making weekend meals especially important for families facing food insecurity.
“Our backpack program operates in several of our counties serving thousands of students with child-friendly food and child-friendly packaging,” McCollum said. “It’s packed into bags and delivered to schools for those students to be able to have that food on the weekends.”
The Middle Georgia Community Food Bank serves 24 counties across the region, including Bibb, Houston, Baldwin, Jones, Peach, Monroe and Laurens counties.
Kroger officials said the campaign supports the company’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, which aims to reduce hunger in the communities it serves.
Food bank leaders say the donation comes at a critical time as students return to the classroom, helping ensure children have access to nutritious meals both during the school week and over the weekend.
