Catholic and Christian agencies working with the poor were thrilled with the May 12 announcement that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its foundation will give $2 billion in food and grants to help end hunger in the United States.
Food banks can expect to receive $1.75 billion in food from Wal-Mart stores, distribution centers and Sam’s Club, and hunger relief agencies will receive $250 million in grants through 2015. Among the grants will be $6 million to buy 60 refrigerated trucks for Feeding America food banks and $10 million for meal programs for children, especially during the summer.
Wal-Mart, which is based in Bentonville, said its goal is to “help America reach a day where no individual has to go to bed hungry or worry if there will be food to put on the table tomorrow.”
It is believed to be the largest donation by a single foundation for hunger relief agencies.
“Increasingly, we see opportunities to use our scale and reach to solve challenges in our communities,” said Eduardo Castro-Wright, Wal-Mart’s vice chairman. “This is one of those times.”
The food banks in Arkansas will receive 27.5 million meals. According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Arkansas is ranked third behind Mississippi and Texas in the percentage of food-insecure households. U.S. hunger rates are the highest since 1995 with nearly 15 percent of households “lacking access to an adequate supply of nutritious food.”
Wal-Mart said its goal is to provide one billion meals over the next five years. The top five states are Texas with 77.5 million meals; New York with 49.8 million; Nevada with 44.6 million; Indiana with 43.1 million; and Florida with 40.3 million.
“My hope would be that they use the established distribution systems such as Rice Depot and Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance for distributions and that those agencies make it possible for an expanded number of food pantries to receive the food at minimal or no expense,” said Sister Mary Lou Stubbs, DC, director of Catholic Charities of Arkansas. “It would be great if they could get organizations like (Cooperative) Extension and health-care providers to offer classes in nutrition and cooking to increase the effectiveness of the program for its duration because even that amount of food will not last long if it is distributed across the country.”
Sister Mary Lou said this donation can be one step toward reducing poverty.
“Catholic Charities USA is totally committed to reducing poverty, and two factors that keep people trapped in daily survival mode are hunger and lack of housing,” she said.
In 2006 CCUSA set a goal of cutting poverty in half by 2020. One of the ways to do that is by increasing “access to healthy, nutritious food,” the agency said.
In its announcement Wal-Mart said of the food it has provided to food banks already, 28 percent was produce and 25 percent was meat, fish, cheese and other dairy products.
Two hunger relief agencies in Arkansas said they have already been the recipients of food and money from Wal-Mart and said they are happy that the company is stepping up again.
Tony Howard, food pantry manager for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Rogers, said he is hopeful that in the next couple of weeks he will learn how the Wal-Mart announcement will impact them.
Located only eight miles from the headquarters of the nation’s largest retailer, the pantry has always benefited from Wal-Mart donations since it opened six years ago.
“For several years we have received donations from Wal-Mart, such as paper towels and diapers,” he said. “They contribute to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and the United Way where we receive help. Some of the Wal-Mart employees volunteer their time at our food pantry. When they have volunteered 25 hours, Wal-Mart will donate $250 to our ministry.”
The food pantry assisted in distributing toys from Wal-Mart during Christmas. Wal-Mart has already donated $15,000 in food to the pantry.
Reacting to the announcement, Laura Rhea, director of Arkansas Rice Depot, a faith-based food bank that serves more than 300 pantries across the state, said, “What an incredible amount of money.”
“They watch the market and they know when the economy is bad, there is a particular need for food,” she said. “It is a need that can’t wait. I am very proud that they made that commitment.”
While Arkansas Rice Depot is not part of the Feeding America food banks, Rhea said Wal-Mart has always been one of their larger donors. For the past three years Wal-Mart has given them $100,000 for the Food for Kids program and recently gave them $50,000 to buy a new Food for Kids delivery van. Wal-Mart also initiated the Kids’ Coat Project at ARD this winter with a $50,000 donation.
“They started that totally,” Rhea said. “They came to us and said they know there are children that need coats and said ’You are the organization that can do that.’”
Marilyn Lanford contributed to this article.
