Food Lion Employees setting up shelving at the new Shaw pantry
On Friday, October 20th, store managers and staff from area Food Lion stores joined forces with the Food Shuttle for Food Lion Feed’s latest Great Pantry Makeover…this time at Shaw University in downtown Raleigh.
Shaw will be the first college or university that the Food Shuttle has partnered with for a school pantry.
“College hunger is something a lot of people don’t know about but it’s really prevalent,” says Food Shuttle Programs Manager Julie Cox. “We don’t want students to have to choose between their books, studies or food. This pantry will support all students at Shaw, and hopefully the surrounding community.”
The Shaw University Pantry will start as a service for students, but Pantry Coordinator Juanda Holley believes that it could eventually serve the entire neighborhood.
“This whole area is a food desert,” says Holley “There are no grocery stores. It’s a complete food desert, right here in downtown Raleigh. This community will prosper from us being here.”
Food Lion’s Great Pantry Makeover provided new shelving, refrigeration, a freezer and stocked the shelves of the pantry. Food Lion associates took time off from their busy schedules to help Shaw and the Food Shuttle set up and stock the pantry.
“We are the communities we serve,” says Khalid Pickering, Food Lion Regional Director of Operations. “It always feels good to give back, especially here in southeast Raleigh. Our employees take pride in this because they are part of the population that could at some point visit food banks.”
We would like to send a big thanks to Food Lion Feeds and our local Food Lion associates for providing the financial and volunteer support us get this pantry off the ground. Another successful Great Pantry Makeover!
For more details about our school pantry program, click here.