Press Release
At a Lowcountry Food Bank (LCFB) food distribution at Devon Forest Elementary School in Goose Creek yesterday, The Boeing Company announced a donation of $150,000 to LCFB’s childhood hunger programs.
From January through December 2022, Boeing’s $150,000 investment in LCFB’s childhood hunger programs will provide a total of more than 165,000 nutritious meals to more than 23,000 neighbors who struggle with hunger, including 13,000 children.
“Today marks yet another key milestone in our longstanding partnership with the Lowcountry Food Bank,” said Ziad Ojakli, Executive Vice President of Government Relations at Boeing. “Through this investment, we are committed to breaking the barriers our communities face in accessing healthy, nutritious food.”
This continued partnership between Boeing and LCFB to fight childhood hunger includes investment in the LCFB Food for Health Initiative, which will pair LCFB services with at least four health care clinics in 2022 that serve rural communities in coastal South Carolina. The Food for Health initiative will provide more than 18,000 meals through food boxes and vital educational information to health care clinic patients and their families, aiming to decrease their food insecurity and improve their overall well-being. Since 2010, Boeing has provided more than $1.2 million in support of LCFB – bringing more than 1.5 million meals to Lowcountry families in need.
As part of the funding package, LCFB will be able to sustain critical service of more than 18,000 meals to nearly 4,000 children who participate in LCFB BackPack Buddies, a program designed to fight weekend hunger for children during the school year.
Boeing funding will also provide at least 11 mobile pantry distributions that specifically target high-need LCFB partner schools and surrounding communities, serving more than 10,000 individuals, which equates to 82,500 meals.
Specifically in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, the funds will provide increased access to fresh produce in rural communities with Kids’ Choice mini-produce markets that will serve children in the LCFB Kids Cafe after-school program, which will provide more than 12,000 meals. Two LCFB School Markets, which provide schoolchildren with access to nutritious food at permanent food pantries at their schools, will be stocked with nutritious food, which will equate to about 18,000 meals. Additionally, 10,400 nutritious summer lunch/supper meals and breakfasts will be provided during the summer months.
Nutrition education programs will be conducted for almost 3,400 children and adults, which include groceries that equate to more than 5,000 meals.
“We work diligently year-round to strategically target communities in coastal South Carolina that need critical access to healthy food,” said Nick Osborne, President and CEO of Lowcountry Food Bank. “This amazing donation from Boeing helps us expand our impact toward ending hunger in our community.”
