100+ Food Lion Workers Pack 34,500 Pounds for Hungry Families

When Jessica Speak drove 90 minutes from Columbia to sort vegetables, she wasn't just volunteering for a good cause. She was joining 100 coworkers on a mission to feed thousands of families across eastern North Carolina who go to bed hungry.

The Food Lion employees gathered at the Greenville branch of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina for their annual "Branch Takeover Day" during National Volunteer Week. Together, they packed more than 34,500 pounds of sweet potatoes and onions for distribution to local families.

"That's enough to fuel more than 28,000 meals," said Jason Kanawati Stephany, vice president of communications with the food bank. Similar events took place simultaneously at five other hubs across the food bank's 34-county service area.

The volunteers came from as far as Tarboro, Wilson, and Ayden to help their neighbors. Katie Cagle returned for her second year because she loves helping her community, while first-timer Alexis Hatcher joined after hearing last year's impressive numbers.

Reggie Beamon, a Food Lion retail support specialist, believes this work reflects something fundamental about human nature. "I think deep down, everybody wants to do good," he said.

The Ripple Effect

The partnership between Food Lion and the food bank runs three decades deep. Every Food Lion location in North Carolina pairs with a local food pantry or meal site, allowing them to pick up short-dated and perishable products that go directly to people in need.

In the past year alone, this partnership delivered 10 million meals worth of food from Food Lion stores to local pantries. The company has donated 1.5 billion meals since 2014 and aims to reach 3 billion by 2032.

The need remains urgent. More than 67,000 people face food insecurity in the region served by the Greenville branch, nearly 1 in 5 residents.

Vanessa Kane, a store manager with 24 years at Food Lion, first noticed the company's impact through senior feed boxes distributed by churches in her hometown of Farmville. Now she helps lead initiatives like the Orange Bag campaign and Score to Give More programs.

This year's event set a record with more than 600 Food Lion associates participating across all locations. Their combined efforts will stock the shelves of more than 700 pantries, meal sites, and programs like Meals on Wheels throughout the region.

One day of volunteer work will ripple through communities for months, turning sweet potatoes and onions into thousands of nourishing meals for families who need them most.