Learn more at the Holiday Taste of Sam's Club website
The ninth annual Holiday Taste of Sam’s Club event kicks off this weekend and as a special part of this year’s event, Sam’s Club is helping to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in the U.S. and donating $1 million to support child hunger programs through Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger relief charity. The donation will provide approximately 8 million meals to children and families in need during the holiday season and throughout the year.
The Holiday Taste of Sam's Club events will be held Nov. 18–20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at more than 600 Sam’s Club locations across the country. Sam’s Club invites Members and guests to get in the holiday spirit by sampling a variety of gourmet holiday foods, view cooking demonstrations and take part in holiday decoration workshops.
“Knowing that our annual Holiday Taste of Sam’s Club event helps fight child hunger by providing millions of meals for children in need is something that is extremely gratifying to the entire Sam’s Club family,” said Heather Mayo, Vice President, Merchandising at Sam's Club. “The need to raise awareness for child hunger in our country is critical with more than one in five children in the U.S. at risk of hunger.”
The $1 million donation from Sam’s Club will help support families in need through Feeding America Food Banks in 12 cities identified as having the greatest need. Sam’s Club also provides meats, cheeses and baked goods to Feeding America for distribution to its hundreds of food banks nationwide.
Research has shown that food insecurity and hunger are serious threats to children’s health, growth and development. The nation’s economic growth depends on the well-being of our children. As such, the existence of childhood hunger in the United States threatens future American prosperity. Feeding America offers a number of programs aimed to alleviate childhood hunger, including BackPack, Kids Cafe, Afterschool Snack, School Pantry and Summer Food programs. USDA research indicates that one in five children do not know where their next meal will come from, or when.
In 2011, Sam’s Club’s will offer support of $1 million, allowing Feeding America to provide approximately 8 million meals to children and families in need during the holiday season and throughout the year. These meals will be delivered to Feeding America Food Banks in 12 U.S. markets, which have some of the highest rates of child food insecurity in the United States:
- Los Angeles
- Houston
- Chicago
- Phoenix
- Dallas
- San Diego
- Miami
- Detroit
- Las Vegas
- Santa Clara
- Washington, DC
- Tampa Bay, Florida
This funding will bring visibility and resources to Feeding America’s innovative child hunger programs. Additionally, Sam’s Club supports Feeding America through a national retail store donation program which saw Sam’s Club deliver more than 51 million pounds of food in 2010 alone.
About Sam’s Club Giving
Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation’s eighth largest retailer and a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than 47 million Members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. Members save an average of 30 percent over traditional retailers. To learn more about Savings Made Simple®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam’s Club on Twitter and Facebook.
Giving back is part of the culture at Sam’s Club. Together with the organizations they support, they hope to create communities that are home to thriving businesses, healthy families and educated young people ready to be the leaders of tomorrow.
In 2010, the Sam’s Club Giving Program made cash and in kind contributions of more than $89 million. Sam’s Club provides meats, cheeses and baked goods to Feeding America for distribution to its hundreds of food banks nationwide. In 2010, Sam’s Club donated more than $78 million in food which included more than 51 million pounds and provided more than 65 million meals. This year, Sam’s Club is helping to expand, sustain and start new programs to fight childhood hunger, including BackPack, Kids Cafe, Afterschool Snack, School Pantry and Summer Food programs.