Food Lion Gives $500K in Gift Cards to Aid Needy N.C. Families

In response to the temporary suspension of benefits under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) in the wake of the federal government shutdown, Food Lion has made a $500,000 donation in gift cards to food banks across North Carolina to help families in need of food assistance.

Noting the Salisbury, N.C.-based chain’s “leading role across the state in providing critical funding to … food banks that will begin to receive increased requests in the coming weeks,” Food Lion President Beth Newlands Campbell (pictured, holding check), observed: “In North Carolina, one in four children face hunger each day, and parents are forced to make difficult decisions, like buying formula or paying rent, to provide their children with the nutrition they need. We’re hopeful that [the] donation helps families to make fewer of those tough choices, particularly during this time.”

The gift cards, which are in $5 increments, are going to food banks in Asheville, Charlotte, Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Raleigh and Winston-Salem serving counties throughout the state. The food banks will then distribute them to partner agencies and constituents over the next several weeks, or buy food needed for the food bank. The gift cards can be used in any Food Lion location, but may not be redeemed for alcohol or cigarette purchases.

Kay Carter, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Board Chair of the North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks, said that the donation “comes at a critical time as we struggle to find ways to bridge the gap of hunger and continue putting food on the table for the families we serve.”

Food Lion, a subsidiary of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group, operates more than 1,100 supermarkets and employs about 57,000 associates in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.