The United Family® in Abilene today delivered a donation of 5,600 pounds of apples to the Food Bank of West Central Texas in Abilene, as part of its annual participation in the Take a Bite Out of Hunger™ program.
Although United’s grocery store in Brownwood is still under construction, donations to the Food Bank of West Central Texas also benefit local food pantries and organizations, such as Good Samaritan Ministries, St. John’s Church, the Bangs Food Pantry, and the Salvation Army lunch program. The Food Bank of West Central Texas services 19 counties, including Brown County.For the fourth year in a row, The United Family is providing food for the hungry in its local communities by donating more than 39,000 pounds of apples to seven local food banks across Texas and New Mexico.
“The United Family’s continued participation in the Take a Bite Out of Hunger program is a way for us to show our commitment to those in need in our local communities,” said Joseph Bunting, Produce Director for The United Family. “We are proud to stand with these food banks as they seek to eliminate widespread hunger.”
In the 13 areas the Food Bank of West Central Texas serves, approximately 50,000 people live in poverty and more than half have incomes below the federal poverty level. Through partnering with 150 agencies, every $10 donated to the food bank provides enough food for 45 meals.
This donation is part of The United Family’s participation in the Take a Bite Out of Hunger™ program sponsored by FirstFruits Marketing of Washington. FirstFruits created the Take a Bite out of Hunger™ campaign to help feed the underserved while bringing attention to the problem of food insecurity in the United States.
“Year after year, we are humbled to learn the impact our program makes in communities nationwide,” said Robbin Erickson of FirstFruits Marketing of Washington. “The number of households fed through our program exponentially increases with the consistent support from our retail partners like The United Family.”
Since Take a Bite out of Hunger was introduced in 2010, approximately 1 million pounds of fresh apples have been donated to local food banks in the name of the participating retailers. This year more than ten retailers have joined the Take a Bite Out of Hunger effort with donations going to local food banks throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Through the program, United has provided almost 150,000 pounds of apples to area food banks during the past four years.
Apple donations also arrived today at the High Plains Food Bank, Amarillo; North Texas Food Bank, Dallas-Fort Worth; South Plains Food Bank, Lubbock; West Texas Food Bank, Midland/Odessa; Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, New Mexico; and Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, Wichita Falls.
Pictured above are United Supermarket and food bank representatives. Left to right: Kenneth Weise, Chris Greene, Nate Hester, Sos Lopez, Marcelino Santillan, Jody Houston.
About The United Family®
In its 99th year of operation, United Supermarkets, LLC – d.b.a. The United Family® – is a Texas-based grocery chain with stores in 36 communities in West Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth and New Mexico. A self-distributing company with headquarters in Lubbock and distribution centers in Lubbock and Roanoke, The United Family currently operates 67 stores under five unique banners: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Albertsons Market and United Express, along with ancillary operations R.C. Taylor Distributing, Praters and Llano Logistics. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of A lbertson’s LLC. For more information, please visit www.unitedtexas.com.
