Staunton City Schools is receiving a donation of $13,347.96 to help fight food insecurity among students.
The money was raised during The GIANT Company’s Feeding School Kids initiative. Together, with the help of its customers, the GIANT Company raised more than $3.3 million to address the issue of childhood hunger throughout local public school districts in the communities it serves across four states.
“We are so thankful to each and every member of our community who contributed to this effort,” said Amanda Warren, director of school nutrition for Staunton City Schools. “Those dollars will go directly into providing healthy meals and educating our young people about the importance of good nutrition. Not only is that necessary for academic success, but it also sets them up for a lifetime of good health, benefiting the entire community.”
From Jan 4. through Feb. 28, customers at GIANT, MARTIN’S and GIANT Heirloom Market stores were invited to round up their grocery purchase to the nearest dollar or convert their CHOICE points into a donation for their local public schools’ food programs. The GIANT Company matched the first $1.5 million donated by customers. Through the Feeding School Kids initiative, school districts will be able to use the funds to support meal programs such as covering outstanding student meal debt, expanding food distribution programs, creating on-campus food pantries, and supplying extra weekend meals.
“At The GIANT Company, we’re committed to doing all that we can to eliminate hunger and changing children’s lives,” said Jessica Groves, manager of social impact, The GIANT Company. “Thanks to the generosity of our customers, our Feeding School Kids initiative will directly impact our local school food programs, helping to build strong, healthy students, in turn strengthening their families and communities.”
Funds donated by customers benefitted the local school district in the community in which they were given and The GIANT Company’s matching funds were awarded based on need, as determined by the number of students in the district that receive free or reduced meals.
For more information on The GIANT Company’s Feeding School Kids initiative and a complete list of participating schools and amounts received, visit giantfoodstores.com/pages/our-purpose.