SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion Feeds’ is launching its third annual ‘Summers Without Hunger’ campaign, which aims to address the fact that many children who depend on school-provided meals for much of the year lack access to them during the summer.

Noting that nearly 22 million children count on school-provided meals but less than 17% have access to summer meal programs. Food Lion Feeds’ intends to provide the monetary equivalent of 20 million meals to fight child hunger this summer. Through the campaign, which runs through June 28, neighbors have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and their families in their local community by donating $5 at checkout or online through Food Lion To Go. All donations benefit Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, and 33 local Feeding America member food banks across Food Lion’s 10-state operating area. Customer donations will be matched by 10 Food Lion suppliers: Campbell’s, Coca Cola, Frito Lay, Gatorade, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Pepsi Beverages and Unilever.

“No child should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, and yet one in six children face hunger,” said Kevin Durkee, manager of Food Lion Feeds. “In partnership with our customers and suppliers, we’re hoping this is our most impactful ‘Summers Without Hunger’ campaign yet. We’re grateful for this year’s participating supplier partners and our customers for coming together to support this important cause. Our goal with this campaign is to help eliminate some of the difficult choices our neighbors are forced to make while school is out for the summer.”

In addition to customers, suppliers and Food Lion donations, Food Lion associates will also volunteer throughout the month at many of the participating local Feeding America member food banks to help distribute food to neighbors in need.

“For kids who count on school meal programs during the school year, summer break could mean three months of worry and hunger,” said Lauren Biedron, vice president of corporate partnerships at Feeding America. “Feeding America is grateful to Food Lion, suppliers, associates and customers for their continued commitment to provide meals to children and their families through ‘Summers Without Hunger’.”

This campaign is part of Food Lion Feeds’ overall commitment to help provide 1.5 billion meals to individuals and families in need by 2025. Since 2014, Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion’s hunger relief platform, has provided more than 900 million meals to neighbors in need.

[Food Lion notes that each dollar raised helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Through the Summers Without Hunger campaign, Food Lion guarantees a minimum donation of $100,000 (monetary equivalent of 1 million meals.) from June 1 – 28, 2022. Those meals are provided through a combination of product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; capital campaign support for feeding agencies; and volunteer hours by associates, based on various meal equivalent formulas.]