United Way has received a $68,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to support the organization’s mobile food pantry program.
United Way’s Mobile Food Pantry Program is an extension of the work of Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center. It is a custom-made refrigerated truck that delivers perishable food items for direct distribution to people in need. The program offers a way to reach individuals in more remote areas and also offers items that those individuals may not find in a traditional pantry, including fresh fruits and vegetables. The program currently has six monthly distribution sites, and will be adding two more in the New Year.
“No one in our community should go without food,” said Virginia L. Mason, President & CEO of United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. “This generous grant from the Walmart Foundation will help us move towards an end to issues that lead to hunger and food insecurity, not just manage them. The grant comes at a time when more and more families are struggling, and we are so grateful to Walmart for making a significant investment in the mobile pantry to bring fresh and healthy foods to those in need.”
“Walmart is proud to support United Way of Southeastern Connecticut,” said Chris Buchanan, Walmart Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations. “We know that food insecurity is a major issue for many individuals and families across the country right now, and organizations such as United Way are more important than ever in ensuring that people can feed themselves and their families.”
The Walmart State Giving Program awards grants in two cycles each year to non-profit organizations that work in the areas of hunger relief and nutrition, education, work development and women’s economic empowerment. In Connecticut in the second giving cycle of 2013, Walmart gave $387,000 to Connecticut non-profits.
