Baltimore County Public Schools received a donation of $26,413 through Giant Food’s Nourishing Our Youth Program to address food insecurity.
For students who do not have access to quality food at home, school is oftentimes the only place where they can receive a well-balanced meal.
From June 17 to Aug. 11, Giant stores gave customers the opportunity to round up their totals at the register, with that money going to support local schools’ food and meal programs.
“We deeply appreciate this generous donation from Giant Food and its customers,” BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams said in a statement. “Partners such as Giant Food demonstrate enduring community support for our school system and provide resources to enrich our impact on students and communities.”
The grocery chain raised $765,900 across four states and each district will decide how the funds are spent. BCPS plans to increase the number of ovens in elementary schools around the county to better equip schools to serve hot meals.
“The quality of the food we serve is key to supporting a positive learning environment,” said BCPS Food and Nutrition Services Director Jaime Hetzler. “The number of total meals we serve has increased 33% since 2012. With the support of grants, we are increasing the oven capacity in elementary schools. When we have the capacity to produce more food onsite, our ability to control the quality of the food is greatly improved and, as a result, we feed more students.”
