Austin, TX, August 2, 2018 - The Central Texas Food Bank today announced a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to help the Food Bank and its Partner Agencies secure and distribute more fresh produce to families in need. The grant will allow Austin’s Travis Heights Food Pantry and St. Ignatius Food Pantry to purchase walk-in coolers, significantly growing their capacity to source produce and get it to those in need.
“Our task is not only to provide meals for people in need here in Central Texas, but also to provide nutritious meals that can help improve health and well-being,” said Derrick Chubbs, President and CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank. “It is important for us to provide those we serve with healthy food, and we are thankful to the Walmart Foundation for giving us the opportunity to help assure our clients can access high quality produce.”
The Walmart Foundation has been instrumental in helping food banks rescue and distribute more perishable food from retailers across the United States in a sustainable, cost-effective way. This grant is a part of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s ongoing commitment to helping families who struggle with hunger by providing four billion meals to people in need in the U.S. by 2020.
Since 2009, the Walmart Foundation has been a leading supporter of infrastructure grants to Feeding America food banks and their member agencies. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation provide donations of both food and funds to the Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks. Locally, in just the last two years the Walmart Foundation has provided more than $315,000 to support the Food Bank and its network of Partner Agencies and assist in disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey.
Fresh produce provides a tremendous opportunity to both feed people facing hunger and offer nutrient-rich foods that can improve health outcomes. The Feeding America network has significantly grown its capacity to source produce in the last few years, securing a total of 1.47 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables in 2017. In Central Texas, nearly 450,000 residents are food insecure according to Feeding America.
To learn more about what the Central Texas Food Bank is doing to fight hunger, visit centraltexasfoodbank.org.
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ABOUT THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK
The mission of Central Texas Food Bank is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger. Founded in 1981, the Food Bank provides food and grocery products through a network of nearly 300 Partner Agencies and nutrition programs, serving nearly 46,000 people every week. Headquartered in Austin, the Food Bank serves 21 counties in Central Texas, an area about twice the size of Massachusetts. For more information on the Food Bank and its programs, visit centraltexasfoodbank.org.
