BJ's Charitable Foundation Donates $1M to Feeding America's Hunger-Free Summer Programs

BJ's Wholesale Club announced a $1 million donation from the BJ's Charitable Foundation to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. BJ's donation will support Feeding America's Hunger-Free Summer Programs at local food banks across the East Coast.

"BJ's is committed to nourishing our communities and helping families thrive, and we're thrilled to support Feeding America's Hunger-Free Summer Programs," said Kirk Saville, executive director at BJ's Charitable Foundation, in a statement. "Summer hunger-relief programs are critical to helping kids and families stay happy and healthy, and we're proud to partner with Feeding America to provide fresh, nutritious meals."

More than 22 million children currently receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. However, 18 million of these children don't know how to replace those meals when public schools are closed during the summer months. From mobile and school pantries to congregate meal sites in public areas like summer camps, the Feeding America network operates several different program models to improve participation and increase the number of meals provided to children over the summer.

"Hunger doesn't discriminate–it touches every community in the U.S. We're thankful for our partners at BJ's Charitable Foundation who work with us to meet the most pressing needs of the families who rely on our nationwide network of food banks," said Andy Wilson, chief development officer of Feeding America, in a statement. "This funding comes at a crucial time when children and families who rely on free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch program lose access during the summer months."

The grant marks the second consecutive $1 million donation to Feeding America from the BJ's Charitable Foundation. In 2017, BJ's donation helped local food banks on the East Coast expand their refrigerated capacity and infrastructure and increase the distribution of fresh, healthy food to those in need.

Since 2009, BJ's has provided ongoing support to Feeding America through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider and more diverse audiences.

In addition to summer programming and capacity-building grants from the BJ's Charitable Foundation, BJ's has secured more than 70 million pounds of donated food, including fresh produce, frozen meats and fish, baked goods and dairy items, and helped distribute 58 million meals to neighbors in need through the BJ's Feeding Communities program.