Food Lion Makes Generous Donation to Feed the Pack Food Pantry

At NC State, student access to an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery, dairy and healthy groceries is a priority at Feed the Pack Food Pantry located in the Pack Essentials Hub on the first floor of North Hall. 

The pantry’s approachable grocery store look and feel is made possible by generous contributions by one of Feed the Pack’s partners – North Carolina based grocery store chain Food Lion. 

“The pantry wouldn’t look how it looks today without the support of Food Lion,” said Brian Mathis, NC State’s associate director of Student Leadership and Engagement. 

On Monday at the Pack Essentials Hub, Food Lion Director of Operations Delony Spraggins presented a big check for $50,000 to Pack Essentials leaders. That donation was critical in setting up the pantry’s new location with necessary shelving and refrigeration equipment. 

The partnership with Food Lion Feeds dates to 2018, as the organization has a strong commitment to combating food insecurities. Food Lion Feeds was founded in 2014 by Food Lion to address food insecurity in the towns and cities it serves. This past summer, Mathis and Feed the Pack Program Coordinator Rose Krebbs met with representatives from Food Lion, who agreed to provide the $50,000 donation for brand new shelving and refrigeration, and other needs.

“Our Food Lion Feeds vision is that we don’t think anyone should have to make those tough choices between dinner and rent or gas and groceries,” said David Hardee, Food Lion’s regional marketing manager. “And with NC State being a very key part of the Raleigh community, we know that students are not immune to food insecurities. That’s one of the things that we always try to keep in mind as we think about who’s going to be on the receiving end of these.”

Our Food Lion Feeds vision is that we don’t think anyone should have to make those tough choices between dinner and rent or gas and groceries.

In addition to presenting the check on Monday, Food Lion also delivered a pallet of 1,694 pounds of food, and volunteers from Food Lion Feeds worked with Feed the Pack staff to stock the pantry. 

Food Lion remains a critical partner for stocking the pantry with fresh, healthy food, as staff pick up weekly food rescue from a nearby store off Wycliff Road. 

More than that, however, Mathis explained that Feed the Pack’s goal of making a trip to the pantry feel just like a trip to the grocery store wouldn’t be possible without Food Lion’s monetary contribution for shelving and refrigeration. 

“With that support from Food Lion, it’s the community resource that really meets our mission, which is treating all of our patrons with dignity and respect,” Mathis said. “So that’s something that we really pride ourselves on, and that’s why I’m really thankful to David and his team for getting those resources in the pantry.”