Picture: Employees of the Walmart Distribution Center in Pottsville volunteer at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in  April 2022.

Walmart and Sam’s Club Continue Their Commitment to Addressing Food Insecurity in Central PA Through Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign
In 2021, the campaign helped secure nearly 1.4 million meals for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, a local Feeding America® member food bank

HARRISBURG, PA – More than 152,000 people in central Pennsylvania are experiencing food insecurity per month in central Pennsylvania due to the challenges of the last two years which are now exacerbated by rising costs and inflation.  Neighbors in our community are still working hard to recover but are facing impossible choices between buying groceries and paying for other critical expenses such as housing, medicine, and childcare.

With one in nine people in Central Pennsylvania experiencing food insecurity, Walmart and Sam’s Club are supporting the Feeding America® nationwide network of food banks, including the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank through the ninth annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign.

The campaign will run in store and online from April 18-May 15. There are three easy ways to support neighbors in need.

  • For every participating product purchased in store or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.
  • Donate at check-out in stores or clubs or round up at Walmart.com.
  • Donate at Feeding America’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either FeedingAmerica.org/Walmart or www.FeedingAmerica.org/SamsClub.

“The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has seen demand level off since the height of the pandemic in 2020, but it has been steadily increasing in the first months of 2022 as we deal with challenges posed by rising costs and inflation. We continue to work hard to serve our neighbors in need and Walmart and Sam’s Club have been true partners in this effort,” said Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.  “We are grateful for the continued support of Walmart and Sam’s Club as well as their suppliers, members and customers for their generous support. The money raised through the Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign has provided millions of meals to communities in central Pennsylvania over the past several years and we look forward to providing hundreds of thousands more meals through this campaign in 2022.”

In 2021, the Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign generated more than $232,000 in donations to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, resulting in nearly 1.4 million meals distributed throughout the 27 counties served by the Food Bank. Walmart employees also regularly volunteer their time at the Food Bank, packing hundreds of boxes full of healthy, nutritious food for those facing food insecurity.

“Hunger knows no boundaries and affects all of our communities. For the ninth year, Walmart and Sam’s Club invites our customers, members, and suppliers to join us in the fight against hunger and help neighbors in need by participating in the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at Walmart and president of the Walmart Foundation. “Together, we can help communities live better by expanding access to healthy, nutritious food.”

The 21 participating suppliers for Walmart include: Abbott; BIMBO Bakeries, USA; BODYARMOR; Bush Brothers & Company; Campbell Soup Company; Ferrera Candy Company; General Mills; Great Value; Iovate Health Sciences; J. M. Smucker; Kellogg’s; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kraft Heinz; Materne North America; Monster Energy; Post Consumer Brands; Simply Good Foods; The Clorox Company; The Coca-Cola Company; Unilever; and United States Nutrition.

The participating suppliers for Sam’s Club include: Cascade (Procter & Gamble); Dole Packaged Foods, LLC; General Mills; J. M. Smucker; Kellogg’s; Keurig Dr Pepper; Materne North America; Member’s Mark; Purina; and PEPSICO.

To learn more about the campaign, visit https://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/partners/current-promotions/fight-hunger-spark-change.

*Currently, $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

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About Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce hunger in 27 counties across Pennsylvania. By working with more than 1,200 local agencies and partner programs, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves thousands of people in need every month. For more information on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and its mission to reduce hunger in Pennsylvania, visit centralpafoodbank.org or call 717-564-1700.

About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and clubs under 46 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2022 revenue of $573 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting https://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at https://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/walmart.

Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club®, a division of Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products, savings, and services to millions of members in nearly 600 U.S. clubs, including Puerto Rico. Now in its 39th year, Sam’s Club continues to redefine warehouse shopping with its highly curated assortment of high-quality fresh food and Member’s Mark items and market-leading technologies and services like Scan & Go™, Curbside Pickup and home delivery service in select markets. To learn more about Sam’s Club, visit the Sam’s Club Newsroom, shop at samsclub.com, and interact with Sam’s Club on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.