The donation was made to help Feeding America’s network of food banks distribute more than 1.3 billion pounds of food to support families facing hunger during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Office Depot, a wholly owned subsidiary of The ODP Corporation announced that it is providing $1.5 million (€1.31 million) to Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief organisation in the USA, in support of its COVID-19 Response Fund to help local food banks across the country distribute more than 1.3 billion pounds of food to communities in need.
“We are proud to support the Feeding America network of food banks as it works tirelessly to address the increased demand for food assistance resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gerry Smith, Chief Executive Officer for Office Depot and The ODP Corporation. “Now more than ever, we are committed to strengthening local communities and hope that this donation will help to provide relief for families that are struggling to put food on the table.”
Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund enables its network of 200-member food banks to efficiently and effectively secure the resources they need to serve the most vulnerable members of their communities. More people than ever before are visiting food banks, and according to a recent survey by Feeding America, nearly 40% of those served by the network are seeking food assistance for the first time. Households with children are more likely to experience food insecurity, with a report by Feeding America finding that the number of food insecure children could escalate to 18 million, an all-time high, due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“The pandemic continues to impact our entire nation, including millions of children who are out of school and at greater risk of hunger without access to meals that they typically receive when school is in session,” said Casey Marsh, Chief Development Officer at Feeding America. “Food banks are helping to address the need during this unprecedented time, and we are grateful to Office Depot for their generous donation to help fight hunger in our communities.”
