That’s a Wrap!

The Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign has come to an end and thanks to the overwhelming support of the community; Second Harvest surpassed their goal of $60,000, raising $62,444.86!  The March Campaign ended strong with over $40,000 came in within the last couple weeks of the campaign.

“We are so fortunate to have such a caring community that steps up in times of need. We were worried we weren’t going to reach our goal. This is will now help us keep the shelves stocked into the busy, summer months. I want to personally thank each and every donor for their support. Every dollar makes a difference,” said Sue Estee, Executive Director of Second Harvest.
 
Interact Club hosted a school-wide food and fund drive at the Grand Rapids High School to help stock the shelves at the Second Harvest Food Shelf resulting in 312 pounds of food and $759.00 to count for the FoodShare March Campaign.  Left to right are: Interact Club members Elle Igo, Ciara Dornhecker, Eric Northard, Club Advisor and Kohl Mattson.

FOOD SHELF DRIVE AT GRAND CASINO COLLECTS MORE THAN 5 TONS OF FOOD FOR LOCAL CHARITIES

Grand Casino also makes $10,000 donation to area food banks

Onamia, MN And Hinckley, MN – In an effort to restock area food shelves, Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley held a massive food drive at each casino Tuesday, March 24 through Thursday, March 26. 

For every non-perishable food item guests brought in – up to 3 – they received $5 in Grand Play™ and a charitable dining ticket good at any of the casinos’ restaurants. In turn, Grand Casinos donated 10 percent of their entire bill. Second Harvest North Central Food Bank and Family Pathways each are receiving a $5,000 donation from Grand Casino.

“Food shelves need help all year, but during March donations make an even bigger impact due the annual FoodShare Campaign,” said Sue Estee, Director of Second Harvest North Central Food Bank. “The support from Grand Casino helps us feed the increasing number of hungry children, low income seniors and struggling families who seek help from us now and into the summer months when donations typically dwindle.”

Participation in the food drive had literally “tons” of participation, as guests donated more than 5 tons of non-perishable food items.

“I’m not surprised that our guests got involved in our giving effort.  They always help with our charity connections,” said Heidi Hamers, Corporate Vice President of Marketing for Grand Casino. “We are pleased to help facilitate an event and donate to Second Harvest North Central Food Bank and Family Pathways. Hunger relief organizations are always in need of food donations this time of year.”

Shuttle busses full of more than 5,000 pounds of canned goods made deliveries to Garrison Area Care Givers, in Garrison, Minn., Mille Lacs Lake Division of Indian Works on the Mille Lacs Reservation, Family Pathways Onamia Food Shelf and 5,230 pounds was brought to the Family Pathways in Hinckley, Minn. 

“Grand Casino Hinckley and Grand Casino Mille Lacs continue to be a wonderful partner for Family Pathways in both communities,” said Kathy Wills, Director Basic Life Services for the organization. “They are reaching out to us several times a year to help those in our communities that are struggling.  We appreciate all of their continued efforts and creative ways they have come up with to help out.  Thank you is not enough to say back to their customers!”

About Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley
Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley owned by Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, are two of Minnesota’s premier entertainment facilities, offering gaming, accommodations, dining, conference and banquet facilities, live entertainment and the Grand Harmony Spa and Grand National Golf Club at Grand Casino Hinckley.  Grand Casino Mille Lacs is located on Highway 169, 90 minutes north of the Twin Cities and two hours southwest of Duluth; Grand Casino Hinckley is located on I-35, 75 minutes north of the Twin Cities and 65 minutes south of Duluth. The casinos directly employ more than 3,000 people and cover more than 4,000 people with their insurance plan.  The Mille Lacs Band taxes these entities at 100 percent and utilizes the revenues to provide health care, education, and other programs and services to Mille Lacs Band members.

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Northland Area SUBWAY® Restaurants Are Proud to announce the 1st Annual Feed the Northland Food Drive

April 2, 2015
Contact: Mike Jones – SUBWAY® Restaurants of Duluth/Superior
218.727.2994

Duluth, Minnesota: SUBWAY® Restaurants all across the Northland are honored to announce the 1st annual Feed the Northland Food Drive, taking place at participating restaurants on Thursday, April 30th, 2015.

Feed the Northland aims to help fight hunger all across the region, from North Central and Northeast Minnesota to Northwest Wisconsin and Michigan. 12% of the population in the Northland does not have direct access to enough food to live a healthy life. This event is geared to help alleviate this statistic. All donations collected will stay in the Northland, providing nourishment to those in need.

“Subway owners all across the Northland are immensely proud to kick-off our Feed the Northland initiative. By helping those less fortunate we are creating awareness in the community that will hopefully resonate throughout the year. We invite everyone to come out to your local area Subway restaurants on Thursday, April 30th and help feed those in need.” said Mike Jones, owner of the Duluth area SUBWAY® Restaurants.

Any customer who brings in a non-perishable food item, or makes a monetary donation to Feed the Northland at any participating Subway restaurant on Thursday, April 30th will receive a free 6’’ sub when they purchase a 6’’ sub of equal or lesser value.

The Northland Subway market includes 46 restaurants, ranging from International Falls to Central Minnesota and Ironwood, Michigan.

About SUBWAY® Today, the SUBWAY® brand is the world’s largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 37,000 locations around the world. We’ve become the leading choice for people seeking quick, nutritious meals that the whole family can enjoy. From the beginning, Fred has had a clear vision for the future of the SUBWAY® brand. As we continue to grow, we are guided by his passion for delighting customers by serving fresh, delicious, made-to-order sandwiches.
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Walmart Launches Spring Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign, Inviting Customers to Join the Fight Against Hunger in Three Simple Ways

Walmart and six suppliers aim to donate enough to help Feeding America secure 75 million meals for affiliate food banks across the country

April 06, 2015

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--Today Walmart launches the spring Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, a nationwide initiative inviting the public to take action in the fight against hunger. Working with some of the nation’s leading food companies – Campbell’s, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg Company, Kraft, and Unilever – Walmart is offering the 140 million customers that shop at its stores each week three easy ways to help families in need in their local communities. Through the campaign, Walmart aims to donate up to $3 million to Feeding America based on customer participation in the #WeSparkChange social media challenge and Walmart’s suppliers aim to donate enough to help Feeding America secure 75 million meals for affiliate food banks across the country.

“The campaign is the latest example of Walmart engaging its suppliers, customers and associates with new and creative ways to help families struggling with hunger have access to the food they need.”

The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign comes at a critical time when one in six people in America struggle with hunger at some point during the year, according to the USDA. In addition, food banks are facing the time of year known as the “spring hunger gap” when food supply is often at its lowest level. To raise awareness and help provide meals to those in need, Walmart and its suppliers are inviting customers to take action in store and online to generate support for Feeding America and its nationwide network of 200 food banks.

“At Walmart, we believe every family should have access to affordable, nutritious and sustainably grown food, but this is not the reality for millions of Americans. An extraordinary 49 million Americans struggle with hunger and don’t know where their next meal will come from at some point during the year,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation and senior vice president of Walmart sustainability. “This spring, we’re making it easy for our customers to give back to those in need in their local community by taking simple actions in store or sharing photos online. With the support of our customers and partnerships with our suppliers and Feeding America, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger through a network of member food banks, we can make a real difference for families facing hunger across the U.S.”

From April 6 through May 3, customers can fight hunger and spark change in three easy ways:

1. Take the #WeSparkChange Challenge: Customers can take a picture of six friends who share their commitment to fight hunger, representing the one in six people who may struggle with hunger in the U.S. Then, post the picture on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter as a public post with the hashtag #WeSparkChange. For each public post connected to the hashtag #WeSparkChange, Walmart will donate $10, up to a maximum donation of $1.5 million, to Feeding America on behalf of its affiliate food banks. To help generate more donations, customers can post multiple pictures, tagging friends and challenging them to take their own photo within 48 hours.

To kick-off the challenge, Walmart will make an initial donation of $1.5 million to Feeding America, with the goal of reaching a total donation of $3 million based on the public’s participation, enough to help secure 30 million meals.

2. Buy Participating Products: Purchase one of 240 participating products in Walmart stores nationwide and the supplier will make a donation to help Feeding America secure a meal on behalf of a local food bank. For every item purchased, a meal will be secured for the local Feeding America food bank in that area.

3. Donate at the Register: For the first time, customers can make a donation on behalf of their local Feeding America food bank at the register during checkout.

“At Feeding America, our mission is to engage the country in the fight to end hunger, and this spring we’re proud to build upon our strong partnership with Walmart to encourage its millions of customers to get involved,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “The campaign is the latest example of Walmart engaging its suppliers, customers and associates with new and creative ways to help families struggling with hunger have access to the food they need.”

The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign is just one step towards Walmart’s larger commitment to provide meals to those in need, helping ensure every family has access to affordable, nutritious and sustainably grown food. As the nation’s largest grocer, Walmart is in a unique leadership position to help impact the issue of hunger in the United States. Last year, Walmart announced a commitment to create a more sustainable food system, with a focus on improving the affordability of food by lowering the “true cost” of food for both customers and the environment, increasing access to food, making healthier eating easier, and improving the safety and transparency of the food chain. This commitment includes a goal of providing four billion meals to those in need in the U.S. over the next five years.

To learn more about the campaign, including details on participating products, visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.

About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 250 million customers and members visit our 11,462 stores under 71 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2015 sales of nearly $486 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.