Harry Chapin Food Bank receives a $315,000 donation from Publix Super Markets Charities and 500,000 pounds of fresh produce
Harry Chapin Food Bank today announced it received a donation from Publix Super Markets Charities to purchase and equip a self-select mobile food pantry. Publix will also donate 500,000 pounds of fresh produce during the first year to stock the pantry. Harry Chapin Food Bank serves more than a quarter of a million people each month in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.
Harry Chapin Food Bank’s Fulfill Mobile Pantry Program makes food more accessible in underserved and high-need areas where families with limited financial resources may not be able to access food through traditional grocery stores. A truckload of food is distributed to those who are hungry through either a drive-thru or a farmer’s market-style distribution.
“We are so incredibly grateful to receive this gift from our amazing partners at Publix and Publix Charities,” said Ryan Uhler, marketing and communications director at Harry Chapin Food Bank. “This will enable us to expand our Fulfill Mobile Pantry Program, which has been vital as our community recovers from the impacts of Hurricane Ian.”
“So many of our neighbors struggle with accessing nutritious food, but with this donation to purchase a mobile food pantry and donating fresh produce, we hope to change that,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones. “We are proud to continue our commitment of providing hope through nourishment for people in our communities.”
The donation from Publix Charities to Harry Chapin Food Bank is one of 22 donations made this year to help mobile food pantries. With this $3.85 million gift, Publix Charities has donated $9.5 million to Feeding America member food banks and other nonprofit partners in 2022.
About Harry Chapin Food Bank
Harry Chapin Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, is the largest hunger-relief organization in Southwest Florida. The food bank rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to children, families, seniors and families who are hungry through a series of food distribution programs that feed more than a quarter of a million people each month.
Harry Chapin Food Bank distributed $71 million worth of food in fiscal year 2021. Harry Chapin Food Bank is a United Way partner agency. For more information or to make a gift, call 239.334.7007 or visit harrychapinfoodbank.org.
About Publix Super Markets Charities
George Jenkins, founder of Publix Super Markets and affectionately known as “Mr. George,” believed in giving. From the day he opened his first Publix, he made sure his associates, customers and community were taken care of. In 1966, Mr. George established the Foundation with the vision it would continue giving long after he was gone. Publix Super Markets Charities remains committed to serving the communities in which Publix operates. To learn more, visit www.publixcharities.org.
About Publix Super Markets
Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 240,000 associates, currently operates 1,312 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. For more information, visit the company’s newsroom at corporate.publix.com/newsroom.