Sam's Club donates $1 million to help end child hunger

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club announced that it will donate $1 million to support child hunger programs through Feeding America as part of its Holiday Taste of Sam's Club event, which will be held from Nov. 18 to 20.

"Knowing that our annual Holiday Taste of Sam's Club event helps raise awareness to the critical issue of child hunger in our country is extremely gratifying to the entire Sam's Club family," Sam's Club VP grocery Heather Mayo said. "Through our partnership with Feeding America, we have been able to provide meats, cheeses and baked goods for distribution to hundreds of food banks nationwide, donating more than 51 million pounds of food, which provided more than 39 million meals in 2010 alone."

The $1 million donation from Sam's Club will help support families in need through Feeding America network food banks in 12 cities identified as having the greatest need:

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  Atlanta;

  
  


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  Chicago;

  
  


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  Dallas;

  
  


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  Detroit;

  
  


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  Houston;

  
  


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  Las Vegas;

  
  


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  Los Angeles;

  
  


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  Miami;

  
  


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  Phoenix;

  
  


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  Santa Clara, Calif.;

  
  


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  Tampa Bay; and

  
  


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  Washington, D.C.

  
  

"This gift — especially during the holiday season — shows Sam's Club commitment to helping the Feeding America network provide food to the more than 37 million people who use our services," Feeding America president and CEO Vicki Escarra said. "But the problem is much larger than that. With nearly 49 million people, including 16 million children, in this country facing hunger, this grant will help us get more food to even more people in need."