AFB Receives Walmart Grant

Arkansas Foodbank received a $10,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to help continue the fight against hunger in Arkansas.

The grant will help fund retail our retail pickup program with Walmart stores in our service area.  The Foodbank and our partner agencies pick up donations that might otherwise be recycled or go to waste and distribute them to people in need across our 33-county service area.

“The Walmart Foundation has been an integral part of the Foodbank’s fight against hunger in Arkansas for many years,” said Rhonda Sanders, Arkansas Foodbank CEO.  “This grant allows us to continue our holistic approach in addressing hunger in our state that will ultimately help secure and distribute more nutritious food for families in need.”

Retail/Wholesale Pickup is the largest source of donated food at the Foodbank.  Each year we are able to rescue over 8 million pounds of food to help feed hungry Arkansans through our Retail Pickup Program. AF employees work to identify partner agencies in communities across our service area and pair them with a retail partner such as Walmart.  Our partner agencies pick up weekly, some as many as 3 times a week. Partnering agencies with their local stores has led to a significant increase in the amount of donated product retailers give out. In all there are 88 retail stores in our pickup program.