Publix Doubles Food Bank Donations

4/17/2020

Funds from the sale of Publix-branded reusable bags go to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees.

Publix Super Markets Charities is making a second $1 million donation to Feeding America member food banks in the communities that the grocer serves. This is the second $1 million that Publix has donated during the coronavirus pandemic to help support hunger relief efforts.

The donation will be distributed among 32 food banks throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

“As we continue to see an increase in the number of people facing food insecurity during this pandemic, we are grateful to Publix Super Markets Charities for this additional contribution in support of Feeding America member food banks,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones. “This donation will provide meals and essential supplies to our neighbors and continues to support our ongoing commitment to alleviating hunger in the communities we serve.”

Tree Plantings

Publix is also donating money to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees in damaged Florida watersheds to help slow rainfall runoff and restore natural habitats for wildlife. The $125,000 donation comes from the 2019 sale of green Publix-branded reusable bags, a program that's been in place for the past four years for a total of $480,000.

“When you start learning about watersheds and what they do, you discover how foundational they are to our quality of life because almost every area of land is a watershed, especially in Florida,” said Publix Director of Environmental and Sustainability Programs Michael Hewett. “Part of our mission at Publix is to be responsible citizens in our communities. By working with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees in key watersheds, we’re doing good together by restoring areas that work as natural filters for the water we all drink and use every day.”

This year's donation was used to plant 125,000 trees in Florida’s Little Orange Creek Preserve and Withlacoochee River watersheds. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, Publix’s donations have made it possible to plant 480,000 trees across 710 acres over the years. These trees are estimated to intercept more than 52 billion gallons of rainfall and absorb more than 140,000 net tons of carbon dioxide over the next 50 years.

Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix operates more than 1,200 grocery stores in seven southeastern states in the Southeast. The company is No. 5 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States. Walmart is No. 1 on PG's list.