Grocery Outlet in Carson City held its 5th Annual Independence From Hunger Food Drive through July with customers donating 160 bags of groceries and giving $1,387 in cash to a local food bank.
This year’s recipient of the donations was the Dayton Food Pantry. Freida Carbery, volunteer coordinator for Healthy Communities Coalition, which operates the Dayton Food Pantry, was at the Carson City Grocery Outlet Store this week and extended her thanks to store owners David and Lynne Cox, employees and the Carson City community.
The annual July drive is designed to happen when food banks see less donations during summer and experience strong demand, especially with school being out.
The annual giving campaign is a flagship effort of Grocery Outlet. The stores encourage customers and employees to donate food and money to food banks that collect for families in the community. This year’s campaign was among the most successful thus far.
“This has been a very good food drive. Our customers really were there to help. Without each of them none of this would have happened,” said store owner David Cox.
According to the Food Research and Action Center, 6 out of 7 low-income kids who eat a free or reduced-price school lunch during the academic year do not get a free meal during the summer. The USDA also reports that 1 in every 6 Americans is food insecure and 46.5 million Americans, 15 percent, were reported as living at or below the poverty level in 2012.
The Carson City Grocery Outlet store is independently owned and operated by David and Lynne Cox who are committed to giving back to the local community. This year alone Grocery Outlet Carson City has generously donated food and refreshments to National Night Out Carson City and the annual DARE Cops and Kids program through the Carson City Sheriff’s Office.
