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From Staff Reports

JACKSONVILLE — Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, has announced a donation of $140,000 to seven Feeding America® network food banks in the Southeast to help combat food insecurity among children during the summer months. Each chosen food bank, including Community Food Bank of Central Alabama in Birmingham, received SE$20,000.

Other recipients include Feeding Northeast Florida (Jacksonville), Feeding Tampa Bay (Tampa), Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (Orlando), Feeding South Florida (Pembroke Park) Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana (New Orleans) and Feeding the Gulf Coast (Theodore, Alabama).

Throughout the school year, nearly 22 million children count on school meal programs for their daily nutrition, yet less than 17% have access to summer meal programs, according to Feeding America. With summer vacations lasting up to 90 days, millions of children are faced with hunger and worry as they lose crucial access to daily meals.

SEG’s donation to its food bank partners will help provide vital meals to children and families facing food insecurity across the Southeast.

 “At Southeastern Grocers, we are committed to improving the quality of life and well-being of our associates, customers and local communities,” Raymond Rhee, chief people officer for Southeastern Grocers, said. “During these last few years, we have been faced with unimaginable challenges that seemingly never end, and more and more neighbors are finding it difficult to nourish their loved ones. This donation to local Feeding America network food banks will help ease the burden on families in need while children are home for the summer. We aim to be the neighbor you can always count on, and we are passionate about strengthening the communities we serve.”

Erika Thiem, chief supply chain officer for Feeding America, said, “We are grateful to have Southeastern Grocers as a dedicated partner and appreciate their shared passion to help people in need. Thanks to SEG’s generous donation, we will be able to provide nourishing meals to communities as we work to build a brighter, food-secure future. We look forward to continuing our great partnership and working together to tackle food insecurity all year long.”

SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation donated more than 18.6 million meals in 2021 to community members in need throughout the Southeast.

About SEG Gives Foundation 

SEG Gives Foundation is the charitable arm of Southeastern Grocers Inc. The SEG Gives Foundation aligns giving with causes that are priorities to the communities SEG serves, including the fight against hunger, support for military service members and their families, relief to those affected by extreme weather and natural disasters and championing belonging, inclusion and diversity by combating social injustice to bridge the gap of inequities faced by many individuals, families and communities.

About Feeding America®

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.