Kroger made two donations of 400 turkeys – to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and Feeding Southwest Virginia – through its Touchdowns for Turkeys program.
Kroger had pledged at the outset of the 2020 football season to donate 10 turkeys for every touchdown scored by the UVA and Virginia Tech football teams.
Turns out, each scored 40 TDs in their 2020 seasons.
The turkeys will go to local families who rely on food banks and food pantries to feed their households.
“This year brought an increased demand to food banks as many individuals are hurting as a result of the pandemic,” said Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic. “We hope that this turkey donation brings food to those in need during this holiday season.”
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 that serves 25 counties and eight cities on either side of the Blue Ridge by providing nutritious food to 103,500 people per month through a network of 200 food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, churches and other nonprofit groups.
“Thousands of individuals in our communities are seeking hope in the form of nourishment, especially this holiday season,” says Michael McKee, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. “Touchdowns for Turkeys is sure to help provide just that, along with gratitude for each touchdown the Cavs made this season.”
“The opportunity to help others in our community through this partnership with Kroger and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is a source of pride for our team,” Virginia football coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Scoring touchdowns is critical to our success, but when you stop to realize that those touchdowns also result in putting food on someone’s table, that’s really powerful. The pandemic has been challenging for all of us. We’re happy our efforts will help to make things better for some families through this generous program.”
Feeding Southwest Virginia was founded in 1981 and serves 26 counties, including nine city regions, providing food or meals to those in need.
“Many circumstances contribute to our neighbors facing food insecurity. It may be unemployment, reduced hours, fixed income or illness,” said Pamela Irvine, president and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia. We are grateful for this donation that will allow us to bring joy to the many households that will receive a turkey this holiday season in addition to their shelf stable items. What a blessing.”
“It’s always our pleasure to help uphold Virginia Tech’s spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve),” Virginia Tech football coach Justin Fuente said. “We know how challenging 2020 has been for so many of our neighbors across Southwest Virginia. On behalf of our entire football team, we extend our sincere thanks to our partners at Kroger and everyone who helped make this distribution possible. We are all hoping for a better year ahead. Go Hokies!”
Story by Chris Graham
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