Feeding America® and Disney Celebrate 10-Year Collaboration Providing Produce for Families in Need

 

Text: Feeding America

 

As part of its commitment to help create healthier generations, The Walt Disney Company has made a contribution to Feeding America® to support efforts to source more produce and increase the number of nutritious meals provided to children and families who need it most. This year marks the 10th year that Disney and Feeding America have teamed up. To celebrate that relationship, Disney will fund 30 Feeding America member food banks throughout the U.S. In 2021, with help from donors like Disney, Feeding America secured more than 2.1 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables and plans to provide even more nourishing produce to families in need this year.

 

A Mobile Pantry distribution hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. A Mobile Pantry distribution hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

 

“We are thrilled to celebrate 10 years of working with The Walt Disney Company,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. “Long-term collaborations like this one are crucial to supporting the people we serve year after year, and Disney’s produce grants are no exception. They are helping to make meaningful change in these 30 communities across the country. We are grateful for their continued support for our neighbors in need.”

Since 2012, Disney has supported Feeding America’s efforts to end hunger in the U.S., providing significant funding for the organization’s produce programs and volunteer efforts at member food banks. This year’s funding will help food banks provide more fresh produce to kids and families facing hunger by removing barriers to sourcing and distributing produce, building capacity by increasing refrigeration and equipment at food banks, or helping to store and distribute fresh produce within communities to people who need it most. This generous grant was announced on Good Morning America on July 14 and featured an appearance by Michael Chernow, a member of City Harvest’s Food Council, sharing delicious, nutritious, and simple recipes using fresh produce easily obtained at local community food banks and pantries.

 

Person walking on a stage with Feeding America event photos behind them

 

In addition to the produce grant, Disney has collaborated with Feeding America on a variety of other initiatives over the years. Disney has participated in food rescue programs via their theme parks – in fact each year, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort provide hundreds of thousands of meals in food donations to their local Second Harvest Food Banks. Disney VoluntEARS help collect, sort, and distribute food which provides opportunities for employees and cast members to engage their local member food banks and make a tangible impact on food insecurity issues in their communities. And across the U.S., ABC Owned Television Stations have supported local Feeding America member food banks in each of their eight markets by activating in local communities to donate nutritious food.

 

Graylin Williams, a volunteer at a food pantry in Houma, Louisiana after Hurricane Ida. CAPTION: Graylin Williams, a volunteer at a food pantry in Houma, Louisiana after Hurricane Ida. “See that building down there?” Graylin Williams points to a two-story warehouse with its roof shorn off and aluminum siding peeled back. It’s a blistering hot day in Houma, LA, less than two weeks after Hurricane Ida devastated the small town. “That lumber company has been there for 100 years. It’s part of this town’s history,” Graylin said. “But because of this storm, it’ll never open again.” Graylin, a Vietnam Veteran, knows a lot about Houma’s history – and one thing he knows better than most is that it’s not a community that gives up, and the people there are always ready to help each other. “Back in the 1980’s, I was one of the volunteers that founded the food pantry here at Plymouth Rock Baptist Church,” he said. “We’ve been helping people ever since.” And on that day, the community needed some help. That’s why the church was hosting a food distribution, where they were providing a fresh meal, produce and canned food to neighbors in need after the storm. “People need this, they’re hurting,” Graylin said. “We don’t have any water, electricity or gas right now.” With the possibility of another month without power, Graylin knows it could be a long road. But he also knows the town’s residents are ready for it. “This town rallies together. We don’t give up,” he said.

 

See the list of grant recipient food banks below.

Central Texas Food Bank – Austin, TX
Connecticut Foodshare – Wallingford, CT
Lowcountry Food Bank – Charleston, SC
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina – Charlotte, NC
Greater Chicago Food Depository – Chicago, IL
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano – Concord, CA
Montgomery County Food Bank – Conroe, TX
Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina – Fayetteville, NC
Treasure Coast Food Bank – Fort Pierce, FL
Central California Food Bank – Fresno, CA
Northern Illinois Food Bank – Geneva, IL
Long Island Cares, Inc. – Hauppauge, NY
Community Foodbank of New Jersey – Hillside, NJ
Houston Food Bank – Houston, TX
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County – Irvine, CA
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank – Los Angeles, CA
Food Bank For New York City – New York, NY
City Harvest – New York, NY
Alameda County Community Food Bank – Oakland, CA
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida – Orlando, FL
Food Share of Ventura County – Oxnard, CA
Feeding South Florida – Pembroke Park, FL
Philabundance – Philadelphia, PA
Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina – Raleigh, NC
Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino Counties – Riverside, CA
San Francisco and Marin Food Banks – San Francisco, CA
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley – San Jose, CA
Redwood Empire Food Bank – Santa Rosa, CA
Food Lifeline – Seattle, WA
Capital Area Food Bank – Washington, DC

To learn about Feeding America and the network of food banks, visit FeedingAmerica.org/Disney.

*$1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

 

Child holding an ear of corn

 

by Disney Career Recruitment