Donor Spotlight - Walmart #5731
Sheila Knapp, our Retail Donation Specialist, visited Walmart #5731 in Locust Grove last weekend to speak with their Fresh Department. Their produce donations through our Fresh Connections program have been "simply amazing" this past year. The Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank strives to provide our neighbors with healthy food options, and with the help of dedicated donors like Walmart and their associates, this work is made a little easier.
Tracy, Store Manager, said that she is beyond proud of her store when it comes to helping the community; in 2022, her store donated more than 97,000 lbs of food. The Fresh Department takes pride in the knowledge that 44% of their donations were fresh, nutritious produce that was distributed by our network to neighbors in need in their community. Coach Jenn of the Fresh Department said she is always willing to help the community and encourages her team to save everything they can for the FRFB and its community partners.
Each member of the Fresh Department was asked the same question, "How do you feel about the extra work involved with separating items for donation?" and each gave an answer reflecting their passion for our community.
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"It's not extra work; it's an unspoken requirement for the job. I was very humbled by seeing people in need; it's like seeing the shoe on the other foot." Quincy, Team Lead |
"It makes me feel really good. I take it personally. They are people in need and good people who deserve good food." Khalia, Team Associate |
"I like to do it because it helps the community." Carlos, Team Associate |
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"It makes me feel happy to help those in need." Losene, Team Associate |
"Whatever it takes to do the right thing. We work together as a team so we can do the right thing." Costa, Team Associate |
"It makes me feel accomplished. It feels like I'm doing something to help our community." Kyle, Team Associate |
40% of food produced in the US today is wasted; that's 119 billion pounds of food a year. Food rescue programs like Fresh Connections are vital not just to the work of the FRFB and our network of community partners but to cut down on food waste in our region. Food rescue is collecting high-quality food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to people facing hunger. The FRFB partners with manufacturers, retailers, and farmers to reduce food waste and provide rescued food to our neighbors.
We're working with new ways to get perfectly good food to our neighbors who need it most, like MealConnect. MealConnect makes safe and quick food donations possible by matching food banks to food donations for local businesses. Grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, caterers, and more can use the no-cost platform to donate surplus meals. MealConnect has recently rescued 3 billion pounds of food across the nation. Learn how MealConnect works and join today.