The Greater Fall River Community Food Pantry receives donation from Stop & Shop to fight hunger during COVID-19 pandemic

FALL RIVER, MA (October 20, 2020) – To help food pantries prepare for a rise in demand during the holiday season due to COVID-19, Restore, Stop & Shop’s reduced-emissions fuel program, today announced a donation of $10,000 grants to five hunger-relief organizations. Locally, the donation will support The Greater Fall River Community Food Pantry, which serves the communities of Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, Dighton, Freetown, Little Compton and Tiverton. Additionally, the Restore Program will calculate and offset the organization’s operational carbon emissions making the organization carbon neutral to help protect our environment.

“While the Restore program traditionally focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of our fuel customers, we expanded the program’s focus to help local hunger-relief organizations support the increased number of people who are facing food insecurity as a result of the pandemic,” Steven Martins, Store Manager of Somerset Stop & Shop and Board Member of The Greater Fall River Community Food Pantry. “As the holiday season approaches and many will continue to be burdened by hunger, this grant will provide additional assistance to The Greater Fall River Community Food Pantry who serves such a critical role in feeding our neighbors in need.”

According to Feeding America, the economic impact of COVID-19 could push the number of food insecure Americans to 54 million by the end of 2020. The Greater Fall River Community Food Pantry has seen 80 new individuals each month since late spring in addition to the 4,000 individuals served weekly. The Food Pantry has remained opened throughout the pandemic, operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at its location on 235 Nashua Street in Fall River. A fully volunteered staff continue to shop for clients selecting from a wide assortment of fresh produce, meat, dairy and non-perishables as well as personal care items.

“Food pantries across the region are in desperate need of donations, especially with the impacts of COVID-19,” said David Perry, President of The Greater Fall River Community Food Pantry. “We are extremely grateful to Stop & Shop and Restore for this generous donation as the $10,000 grant will help us cover the cost of food for eight months.”

With the Restore program, every time a customer fills up at a Stop & Shop fuel location, the Restore reduced emissions program offsets those tailpipe emissions through investments in certified environmental projects.