CARLISLE, Pa. – GIANT Co. marked “Giving Tuesday” by donating a total of $100,000 to nine community organizations throughout its footprint.

“While making a difference and helping families gather around the table is part of The GIANT Company’s purpose year-round, the holidays bring a renewed sense of giving and connecting with those in need throughout our communities,” said Jessica Groves, community impact manager, The GIANT Company. “This Giving Tuesday donation is our largest to date and reflects the important and unique work each of these nine organizations are doing in our communities to help eliminate hunger.”

GIANT said it supported these organizations:

• Between Friends Outreach – GIANT’s donation will help to support this Doylestown, Pa.-based agency in working with vulnerable community members. The organization recently opened its first food pantry in September, offering a large supply of items that are not available to purchase with government assistance.
• Caring for Friends – Caring for Friends provides food and friendship to homebound seniors, Veterans, and those with disabilities; delivers meals to people facing homelessness; and donates food to more than 250 community partners in unserved and underserved neighborhoods. The GIANT Company donation will benefit individuals and families in need of support. Today, team members will be volunteering in their kitchen and snack bag room to help prep for the holiday season.
• Harrisburg University – A donation will provide funding for continued research in sustainable agriculture which will provide a considerable amount of fresh donations to local families throughout the year.
• Keystone Human Services – GIANT is donating toward this Harrisburg, Pa.-based organization’s Capital Area Head Start nutrition impact program, which provides opportunities for children from low socio-economic backgrounds to develop a healthy relationship with food.
• The program also provides two nutritious meals daily, nutrition education for families, and health and nutritional screenings.
• Keystone Kidspace – GIANT is partnering with this York, Pa. organization to supply all ingredients needed for programming in its
• Kitchen Lab for three years. This lab is the only teaching kitchen of its kind in the region where kids can work with real tools and ingredients to prepare dishes and explore new flavors. In the future, GIANT dietitians will also provide on-site programming.
• Lancaster County Project for the Needy – A donation will support the approximately 1,200 food boxes which will be distributed to those in need throughout the East Petersburg, Pa. community during the holiday season. GIANT team members will volunteer to assist in this 35-year tradition by helping to pack the boxes in the coming weeks.
• The Miller Center – Located in Lewisburg, Pa., GIANT is supporting the Union County Food Hub within The Miller Center with a donation to ensure all families have access to healthy food. The donation will support their distribution efforts, allow families to self-select foods that fit their needs, enhance the community kitchen, and grow their educational programs for families.
• Project GROWS – Focused on improving the health of youth in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County, Va., through garden-based education and access to healthy food, GIANT donation will support the organization’s food education program.
• YMCA of Bucks County – GIANT is helping families through a donation to YMCA’s Growing Healthier Communities initiative, which offers nutrition wellness programs, including cooking classes, outdoor classrooms to grow fruits, and vegetables, and healthy eating seminars and workshops.

“Keystone Kidspace is thrilled to partner with The GIANT Company to deliver unique, hands-on cooking and science opportunities to kids and families in our Kitchen Lab,” said Jessica Brubaker, co-founder and executive director, Keystone Kidspace. “Their sponsorship support makes it possible for our programs to go beyond traditional education about healthy nutrition and wellness to truly empower the next generation of Yorkers to feed themselves, their families and their communities.”

“Capital Area Head Start is excited about the opportunity to partner again with The GIANT Company,” said Amber Coleman, director of operations, Capital Area Head Start. “Partnerships like this are what continue to make Head Start a great place to both work and learn. This collaboration will help reduce food insecurities, increase nutrition experiences in the classroom, and introduce children to the concept of farm to table.”

To kick-off the season of holiday giving, earlier this month GIANT donated 10,000 turkeys to 27 partner food banks throughout its local communities ahead of Thanksgiving. GIANT said its customers can help make a difference by rounding up their purchase at checkout to benefit their local food bank or pantry. Customers can also purchase reusable bags to benefit Feeding America.