March 29, 2024 – The Charlotte Hornets and Food Lion Feeds are distributing 3,000 backpacks to local children facing food insecurity as part of their fourth annual Backpack for Hunger event in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. The backpacks include eight nutritious, ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare food items, in preparation for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ upcoming spring break, when school meals will not be available.
Yesterday, a group of volunteers from the Hornets and Food Lion, including Hornets players JT Thor and Grant Williams, packed the backpacks, which are being distributed to students as part of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina’s Backpack Program. According to a study presented by Feeding America, one in five children in North Carolina and one in eight children in South Carolina experience hunger. The Backpack Program provides more than 200,000 backpacks annually across the 24 counties Second Harvest serves in North and South Carolina.
“As always, we are proud to team with our friends at Food Lion Feeds and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina to help fight hunger in our community,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Betsy Mack. “This initiative is extremely important to us and to many parents and students across the region, especially as we head into spring break. For so many, these backpacks ensure they will still have access to nutritious meals over the break.”
“At Food Lion, our neighbors count on us to nourish their families, and we are committed to doing everything we can to address food insecurity in our community,” said Meg Ham, President of Food Lion. “We believe no one should have to choose between dinner and rent or gas and groceries. In a time when so many families experience hunger, we are grateful to partner with the Hornets and the food bank to provide nutritious food for our Charlotte area students.”
Backpack for Hunger is one of several annual initiatives in which Hornets Sports & Entertainment partners with Food Lion Feeds to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. Others include Cornucopia, which provides Thanksgiving meals to 1,000 families supported by Second Harvest each November, and shopping sprees for selected families at local Food Lion locations.
B-roll footage and photos of Hornets and Food Lion volunteers packing the backpacks can be found at the following link: Backpack for Hunger.
