On May 9, the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) announced that Walmart and Sam’s Club would be joining them in the ninth annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign to address food insecurity in North Texas and the rest of the nation. The campaign benefits a nationwide network of Feeding America food banks, according to the NTFB press release.
Trisha Cunningham, the president and CEO of NTFB, said corporate partnerships are vital to the organization’s mission.
“We are so appreciative of the support of companies like Walmart and Sam’s Club,” Cunningham said. “Our mission is to bridge the hunger gap in North Texas and provide children, adults and seniors a hunger-free future. Corporate partners are a critical component of our efforts and we could not meet the growing demand for our services without their trust, collaboration and generosity.”
According to the press release, North Texas families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic need just as much help as before to navigate supply chain issues and inflation. One in six people in North Texas is affected by food insecurity.
The campaign, which runs from April 18 to May 15, provides three different ways for people to support their neighbors.
People can donate when checking out in Walmart and Sam’s Club stores or round up their purchases through Walmart.com.
For every purchase made through Walmart, the store will donate the equivalent of one meal ($0.10) to Feeding America. Sam’s Club will donate the equivalent of five meals, or $0.50, for every purchase.
Donations can also be made straight through Feeding America’s “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign websites.
“Hunger knows no boundaries and affects all of our communities,” shared Kathleen McLaughlin, the executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation.
“For the ninth year, Walmart and Sam’s Club invites our customers, members, and suppliers to join us in the fight against hunger and help neighbors in need by participating in the ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.’ campaign. Together, we can help communities live better by expanding access to healthy, nutritious food.”
Over the past nine years, the campaign has secured over six million meals for the North Texas Food Bank. According to Feeding America, they can provide ten meals for every dollar raised.
During the last fiscal year, NTFB provided over 125 million meals, 64% more than they could provide before the pandemic.
Sam’s Club and Walmart will be working with multiple suppliers to benefit the Feeding America campaign.
Suppliers working with Walmart include United States Nutrition, Coca-Cola Company, Great Value, General Mills, and Kraft Heinz. Dole Packaged, Cascade, Purina, and J.M. Smucker are among the suppliers working with Sam’s Club.
“To date, the campaign has helped to secure more than 1.5 billion meals for local food banks across the country,” Feeding America shared on its website. “Fighting hunger means more than providing food to our neighbors in need. It’s about showing up in communities to support our neighbors in a way that makes a difference.”