Milton, Fla., – In an effort to bring attention to the issue of hunger in our area, Bay Area Food Bank is teamed up with Wal-mart to bring a different type of bowl game this football season. From January 8th through February 2nd, Wal-mart will hold a food drive at 21 Florida Panhandle stores for the first annual Defeat Hunger Bowl. All donations will benefit Bay Area Food Bank and the pantries and soup kitchens they support.
“Raising awareness of hunger in our community is essential in our goal to defeat it,” says Executive Director, Dave Reaney, “January is a tough time because people tend to focus on the issue more around the holidays, but hunger is a year-round problem. Currently, approximately one in six adults and one in four children are food insecure in our area.”
Along with the food drive, the Wal-mart in Milton held a fundraising event (4965 Highway 90 Milton, FL 32571) on January 18th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Purchase individual non-perishable food items to donate or a $5 pre-packaged bag, available at participating locations. Every donation will help make a difference in the lives of people struggling with hunger in the Florida Panhandle.
A list of participating Wal-mart stores can be found at: www.facebook.com/defeathungerbowl
Additional corporate partners involved in presenting the Defeat Hunger Bowl include Kraft, Mondelēz, Coca-Cola and Campbell’s.
About Bay Area Food Bank
Bay Area Food Bank serves a 24-county area spanning the panhandle of Florida, south Mississippi, and south Alabama. In 2012, the food bank distributed over 16 million pounds of food to more than 400 church pantries, soup kitchens and other nonprofit organizations throughout its service area. The food bank also operates multiple nutrition programs, including Summer Food Service, Afterschool Snack, Backpack, Disaster Relief and Mobile Pantry. For more information, visit www.bayareafoodbank.org.
Media partners of the Defeat Hunger Bowl I include CMG Networks Jacksonville, CBS 4 Gainesville, WMBB Panama City, WTXL Tallahassee, and WEAR Pensacola.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Bay Area Food Bank and Wal-mart joined forces to defeat hunger