Food Lion Teams With College Football Programs to Fight Hunger

The Food Lion Feeds charitable foundation’s Sack to Give Back program is returning with a record number of colleges and universities uniting to help neighbors in need. Through the campaign, Food Lion will donate 1,000 meals (up to 30,000 meals per school) for every quarterback sack made by the participating institution to each school’s local Feeding America member food bank. Since 2019, Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 1.3 million meals via Sack to Give Back.

The program kicks off in September to align with Hunger Action Month, an occasion when Food Lion Feeds bolsters its existing collaboration with Feeding America to generate awareness and spur action with regard to food insecurity. This year, Sack to Give Back has expanded from 27 to 33 teams in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. The program will benefit 16 Feeding America member food banks serving communities where each school is located.

“Food Lion is committed to fighting hunger in the towns and cities we serve, and what better way to rally support from our neighbors than in a football stadium during a quarterback sack,” noted Kevin Durkee, manager, Food Lion Feeds at Food Lion. “Hunger knows no boundaries, and this program enables us to educate our neighbors about food insecurity while engaging them in the fight against hunger. We wish all the participating schools a successful season both on the field and on the Sack to Give Back scoreboard.”

The participating schools and correlating food banks taking part in the program are as follows:

• Appalachian State University; Boone, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC
• Bowie State University; Bowie, Md.; Maryland Food Bank
• Catawba University; Salisbury, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• Chowan University; Murfreesboro, N.C.; Food Bank of the Albemarle
• Clemson University; Clemson, S.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• Coastal Carolina University; Conway, S.C.; Lowcountry Food Bank
• East Carolina University; Greenville, N.C.; Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC
• Elizabeth City State University; Elizabeth City, N.C.; Food Bank of the Albemarle
• Elon University; Elon, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC
• Fayetteville State University; Fayetteville, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast NC
• Georgia Southern University; Statesboro, Ga.; America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
• James Madison University; Harrisonburg, Va.; Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
• Johnson C. Smith University; Charlotte, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• Liberty University; Lynchburg, Va.; Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
• Lincoln University; Oxford, Pa.; Food Bank of Delaware
• Livingston College; Salisbury, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Greensboro, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC
• North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.; Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC
• Old Dominion University; Norfolk, Va.; Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore
• Shaw University; Raleigh, N.C.; Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
• St. Augustine’s University; Raleigh, N.C.; Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC
• Towson University; Towson, Md.; Maryland Food Bank
• University of Delaware; Newark, Del.; Food Bank of Delaware
• University of Maryland; Adelphi, Md.; Capital Area Food Bank
• University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
• University of Richmond; Richmond, Va.; Feed More
• University of Virginia; Charlottesville, Va.; Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
• Virginia State University; Petersburg, Va.; Feed More
• Virginia Tech University; Blacksburg, Va.; Feeding Southwest Virginia
• Virginia Union University; Richmond, Va.; Feed More
• Wake Forest University; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC
• William and Mary College; Williamsburg, Va.; Virginia Peninsula Foodbank
• Winston-Salem State University; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC

Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, and employs more than 82,000 associates. Its parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.