Food Lion, a visionary partner of Feeding America, has teamed with Golden Harvest Food Bank and its partner S.M.I.L.E. Development Center to help fight hunger in local communities and cities by directly funding initiatives that aid in food pantry expansion, refurbishment, and food donations.

The grand reveal of the Pantry’s makeover took place on Thursday, November 4, 2021, in Sylvania, Ga. For years Food Lion has worked to help eradicate food insecurity with local pantries across its 10-state region. S.M.I.L.E. Ministries was one of the selected food pantries to receive an estimated $8,000 grant. This funding was used to help end the hunger of local populations.

“We are happy to see funding and food donations be used within our community. It feels amazing to know that we are making an impact in the lives of our neighbors,” said Jonathan, Assistant Manager at Food Lion.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Golden Harvest Food Bank has seen calls for help double and is still seeing a 15% increase in the need for food assistance when compared to pre-COVID levels. According to Feeding America’s projections, 1 in 7 people within the Food Bank’s 11,000 square mile service area, including Sylvania, are now struggling with hunger.

“Golden Harvest Food Bank is grateful to be linking arms with Food Lion and S.M.I.L.E. Development Center in response to food insecurity. The Great Pantry Makeover and generous donations given by Food Lion have been used to aid in capacity building, added space, and renovations on the building. These changes will ultimately help us serve more guests. We are grateful for the support displayed through this grant.” said Amy Breitmann, President and CEO of Golden Harvest.

One challenge that S.M.I.L.E. Development Center faced in keeping up with the hunger rise is its limited capacity. Through the Food Lion Feeds grant and partnership, the Pantry has expanded by increasing its food storage capacity to receive more food and adding lighting and plumbing to its facility.

“At S.M.I.L.E. Development Center we are very thankful to Food Lion and Golden Harvest for this wonderful opportunity to help our community. We feel extremely blessed to be a blessing to those we serve,” said Pastor Larry, Founder of S.M.I.L.E. Development Center.

In addition to “The Great Pantry Makeover”, Food Lion has provided a $30,000 donation to Golden Harvest Food Bank through its hunger-relief initiative, Food Lion Feeds. The grant will be used for capital improvements for the Food Bank.