Hokie ClubROANOKE, VA. – Today, Kroger donated 400 turkeys to Feeding Southwest Virginia that will go to local families who rely on food banks and food pantries to feed their households.
The donation is a result of Touchdown for Turkeys, a campaign where Kroger pledged to donate 10 turkeys for every touchdown scored by the Hokies during the 2020 football season. Virginia Tech finished the season with 40 touchdowns, leading to 400 turkeys donated by Kroger.
"This year brought an increased demand to food banks as many individuals are hurting as a result of the pandemic," said Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic. "We hope that this turkey donation brings food to those in need during this holiday season."
"Many circumstances contribute to our neighbors facing food insecurity. It may be unemployment, reduced hours, fixed income or illness," said Pamela Irvine, President and CEO of Feeding Southwest Virginia. We are grateful for this donation that will allow us to bring joy to the many households that will receive a turkey this holiday season in addition to their shelf stable items. What a blessing."
"It's always our pleasure to help uphold Virginia Tech's spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve)," said head football coach Justin Fuente. "We know how challenging 2020 has been for so many of our neighbors across Southwest Virginia. On behalf of our entire football team, we extend our sincere thanks to our partners at Kroger and everyone who helped make this distribution possible. We are all hoping for a better year ahead. Go Hokies!"
Feeding Southwest Virginia was founded in 1981 and serves 26 counties, including nine city regions, providing food or meals to those in need.
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About Kroger's Mid-Atlantic Division:
The Mid-Atlantic Division operates more than 100 stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. Based in Roanoke, Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic Division employs about 18,000 associates. Kroger is dedicated to eliminating hunger in the communities it serves through partnerships with nine Feeding America food banks and numerous local organizations. The grocers Zero Hunger | Zero Waste efforts are aimed at ending hunger in Kroger communities and eliminating waste in stores by 2025. Kroger also supports breast cancer research, the military and their families and more than 4,000 nonprofit organizations. Last year, Kroger Mid-Atlantic donated 16.5 million meals to charity and 3,606,296 pounds of food to food bank partners.