Representatives of three of the 35 Feeding America food banks that have received a Walmart truck took a few minutes out of their busy day to tell me about the impact of their truck and the incredible gratitude they feel.
The consensus: this is big.
First, let’s hear from Wally Burleson, resource development & communications director at Treasure Coast Food Bank in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Wally’s first words to me were: “This made our year! Thank you, Walmart Foundation.”
I knew I had to talk to her a bit more. And here is what I learned.
“The demand for food in our area is up 40 percent this year. We’ve had over 15,000 home foreclosures in just one county. The need is unbelievable,” she said.
With two of their trucks out of commission, Treasure Coast Food Bank was in critical need of this new truck. They pick up food from eight Walmart locations in their area and support up to 167 agencies.
“I will say it again,” Wally said. “Thanks for making our year.”
Now, let’s hear from Karolyn Davis, communications director at the East Texas Food Bank.
“This truck will allow us to transport 650,000 more pounds of food a year, meaning we will be able to feed more hungry Texans than ever before. It’s a very important gift. Without this donation, we would not be able to make the difference we can now,” Karolyn said.
Since the East Texas Food Bank began participating in the Store Donation Program with Walmart last March, they have rescued more than 730,000 pounds of food, including the most nutritious – and most expensive – items like meat, dairy and produce. They pick up food from 26 Walmart locations in their area, supporting 200 agencies in 26 counties. That is 20,000 square miles of the state of Texas.
“We need this truck,” Karolyn said. “And we will certainly put it to very good use.”
Lastly, I spoke with Judith Gatti, executive director of Feeding South Florida in Miami.
“This is a very big deal to us,” Judith told me. “It will increase the amount of food we’re able to get to people in need immensely.”
Through the Store Donation Program, Feeding South Florida is expecting to transport up to 30 million pounds of food this year.
“There are 690,000 people living in poverty in our region and last year, we served 140,000 of them. There is still a long way to go,” Judith said. “This truck is going to help us get there.”
The conversations I’ve had while writing have been so compelling that I’ve decided to do another entry like this. Stay tuned for more on the important role these trucks will play in the fight against domestic hunger.