$18K To Centennial SD In GIANT Grocery's Feeding Kids Initiative

WARMINSTER, PA — Bucks County's Centennial School District will receive $18,012 in funds from the GIANT Company in its Feeding School Kids initiative.

From Jan. 3 through Feb. 28, customers at GIANT, MARTIN’S, and GIANT Heirloom Market stores were invited to round up their grocery purchases to the nearest dollar or convert their CHOICE points into a donation for their local public schools’ food programs. The GIANT Company also donated $250,000 to the program.

Through this initiative, customers were able to raise $1.4 million that will be used to combat hunger in local school districts.

“The link between good nutrition and a child’s ability to learn is crucial for their success in school; kids have a hard time focusing on academics if they are hungry,” said Jessica Groves, the community impact manager for The GIANT Company. “Thanks to our generous customers, through the Feeding School Kids initiative, we can directly impact our local school food programs and do our part towards helping to eliminate hunger for the youngest members of our community.”

Through the Feeding School Kids initiative, school districts will be able to use the funds to support meal programs such as covering outstanding student meal debt, expanding food distribution programs, creating on-campus food pantries, and supplying extra weekend meals, according to a news release from The GIANT Company.

Centennial School District was one of 14 school districts to be aided by the initiative. School districts in Pennsylvania, as well as one in West Virginia and two in Maryland, are receiving similar amounts of funds to aid students.

Other school districts receiving funding include:

• Allentown School District, Pa. - $16,701
• Berkeley County Schools, W. Va. - $19,309
• Bethlehem Area School District, Pa. - $18,949
• Carlisle Area School District, Pa. - $18,277
• Centennial School District, Pa. - $18,012
• Central Dauphin School District, Pa. - $21,489
• Frederick County Public Schools, Md. - $24,687
• Mechanicsburg Area School District, Pa. - $15,836
• North Penn School District, Pa. - $23,263
• The School District of Haverford Township, Pa. - $19,855
• The School District of Philadelphia, Pa. - $95,252
• State College Area School District, Pa. - $19,427
• Washington County Public Schools, Md. - $23,100
• West Chester Area School District, Pa. - $48,782

“While the District is fortunate to be able to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, we realize that two meals [are] not enough nourishment for our neediest students,” said Wendy Benton, superintendent, DuBois Area School District.

“Supplemental food and donations though The GIANT Company help us to ensure that our students have access to nutritious food outside of the school day. Together, we can meet the nutritional needs of our students and ensure that no child is hungry in the DuBois Area School District.”

Funds donated by customers benefitted the local school district in the community in which they were given. The GIANT Company’s matching funds were awarded based on need, as determined by the number of students in the district who receive free or reduced meals.