As part of store renovations throughout the greater Roanoke region, Food Lion Feeds recently donated a new vehicle to Feeding America Southwest Virginia. The vehicle, which will help transport meals for children and seniors, was presented during a store ribbon cutting ceremony alongside another vehicle donated to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Food Lion president Meg Ham spoke about the company’s commitment to Roanoke and to giving back in the communities the company serves. Pamela Irvine, FASWVA CEO, thanked Ham and Food Lion Feeds for their generosity and ongoing support.
“As we grow and expand our fresh meal production and other programs, we have a more pressing need for reliable delivery vehicles,” said Irvine. “Food Lion Feeds understands this challenge. We’re so thankful they’ve provided this beautiful new vehicle to help us get food to those who need it most.”
The large van features a custom-built racking system designed to transport up to 40 insulated totes full of fresh meals to children’s feeding programs or 86 shelf-stable meal kits for low-income senior citizens.
Following the vehicle’s debut, Food Lion associates and guests traveled to Good Samaritan Christian Soldiers food pantry in Roanoke. There, Food Lion helped stock the busy pantry with 3,100 pounds of donated food, as well as presented the pantry a check for $2,000.
Those funds go a long way for pantries like Christian Soldiers, which run entirely on donations. “We operate on a shoestring all the time,” said Rayma Mills, a long-time pantry volunteer. “There’s been times when we didn’t know if we were going to have to close the pantry down because we had no money to pay the utility bill.”
Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to nourishing hungry families in our communities continued with contributions of $2,000 each to four more of FASWVA’s partner programs: Stepping Stone Mission, Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry, God’s Storehouse and Springwood Baptist Church. These programs all participate in FASWVA’s “Partner Pickup” program with Food Lion stores.
FASWVA, its partner programs, and the families nourished by these generous donations thank Food Lion Feeds for their dedication to helping end hunger.
