Feeding South Florida Helps Feed More Community Members in Need Thanks to $23,500 Grant from BJ’s Charitable Foundation
Pembroke Park, FL (September 30, 2015) – Feeding South Florida has been awarded a $23,500 grant from BJ’s Charitable Foundation to support agency capacity building and provide more meals for the 785,040 community members in need. After helping to expand capacity in 2014 for more than 400 feeding pantries and programs that resulted in over 10 million more pounds of food being donated, BJ’s Charitable Foundation will invest additional funding this year to further prevent a bottleneck in the supply chain for food distribution to Americans facing hunger.
This will be the second agency capacity building grant awarded to the Feeding South Florida which works with local agencies (food pantries, shelters and meal programs) that help distribute groceries and meals to the 1 in 7 residents who struggle with hunger. Those same local hunger agencies, however, are often limited by a lack of equipment to move donations and provide safe storage for perishable items. Many agencies also encounter limited staff availability and training to support more high-functioning operations. The BJ’s Charitable Foundation grant will help those local agencies safely pick up more donated product from local supporters and distribute more perishable foods to community members in need – a crucial component in the fight to solve hunger.
“We collaborate with our partner agencies to get food to our neighbors in need on a daily basis, they’re often the final stage within our network to reach individuals who struggle with hunger,” said Paco Velez, President & CEO of Feeding South Florida. “With this grant from BJ’s Charitable Foundation, we are able to continue to address what we can do to help enable these organizations to be more efficient and effective, and in turn help more people facing hunger.”
BJ’s Wholesale Clubs has supported the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks since 2011. Each of their 208 clubs has contributed perishable food totaling nearly 35 million pounds, which is the equivalent of 28 million meals.
“At BJ’s, we’re always looking for new ways to partner with food banks and local organizations to help solve hunger in our communities,” said Local BJ’s Spokesperson. “Through this grant, equipment from refrigerated vehicles to coolers as well as food safety training and other costs related to agency success will result in more nutritious food getting to the people who need it most.”
BJ’s Wholesale Club distributed grants to 20 additional Feeding America® food banks to enhance these organizations’ agency capacity building. Each agency capacity grant provided by BJ’s Charitable Foundation will be supplied in September, in honor of Hunger Action MonthTM. Throughout Hunger Action Month, Feeding South Florida and the Feeding America nation-wide network of food banks will rally the country to engage in the fight to end hunger in America. Learn more about Hunger Action Month and how you can get involved at www.hungeractionmonth.org.
About Feeding South Florida™
Feeding South Florida’s mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. Feeding South Florida™ is the sole Feeding America food bank in South Florida, and the leading domestic hunger-relief organization in the region, serving 25 percent of the state’s food insecure population. Through a local network of approximately 350 nonprofit partner agencies, Feeding South Florida distributes almost 40 million pounds of food annually, serving 785,040 individuals in need of food assistance, 280,630 of whom are children, and 150,000 are older adults, throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. For more information, visit www.feedingsouthflorida.org or call 954.518.1818.
About BJ’s Wholesale Club
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ’s is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 208 clubs in 15 states.
BJ’s provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with more top-quality, leading brands including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, which are all backed by BJ’s 100% money-back guarantee; more fresh foods from USDA Choice meats to premium produce to delicious organics in many supermarket sizes; and more great value and amazing savings every day. BJ’s is also the only membership club to accept all manufacturers’ coupons and for greater convenience offers the most payment options.
Giving back has always been at the very core of BJ’s culture. Through local clubs, volunteerism, BJ’s Feeding Communities, Adopt-A-School Program, BJ’s Charitable Foundation, and many more, the company supports and enhances programs that provide vital services within each community it serves. To learn more, visit www.bjs.com/community.
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