Food Lion Bestows Feedy’s Awards

Food Lion paid tribute to several local food banks, community leaders and the grocer’s associates at the recent 2021 Food Lion Feeds’ Feedy’s Awards event. The awards recognize people and organizations across several categories for their work fighting hunger in the communities served by Food Lion.

“Caring for our neighbors in the towns and cities we serve is core to everything we do at Food Lion, so it’s important for us to honor and thank our community partners who share that care and commitment for our communities,” noted Jennifer Blanchard, director of community relations at Food Lion. “Far too many of our neighbors remain food insecure, and unfortunately that’s only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet our hunger-relief partners continue to innovate and adapt to meet the rising challenges, and we’re proud to support their efforts and recognize some of the many individuals, organizations and Food Lion associates who are leading the charge to help feed more neighbors in need.”

The 2021 Feedy’s Awards winners are:

The “Lion Heart” Award: Sheldon Livesay, executive director, Of One Accord, Inc., Rogersville, Tenn. This award recognizes an individual who demonstrates outstanding skills in coordinating and motivating donors and volunteers for Food Lion Feeds’ hunger-relief projects to benefit partner food banks. Livesay was chosen based on his longstanding commitment to the food pantry he helped create in 1988. Of One Accord has distributed nearly 19 million pounds of food to needy neighbors from three food pantries staffed by more than 450 volunteers.

The “Food King” Award: Feed More, Richmond, Va. This award honors a food bank that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to ending hunger through financial support, innovation, encouragement and by motivating others to take leadership roles in hunger-relief programs and community involvement. Feed More, which works with more than 70 area Food Lion stores, piloted an innovative program to freeze, save and distribute dairy products before they expire, resulting in an additional 25,000 pounds of dairy being donated to area neighbors.

The “Lion’s Pride” Award: Mary Blanton, receiving manager at Store #623, Richmond, Va. This award recognizes a Food Lion associate who demonstrates outstanding skills in coordinating and motivating associates and volunteers for hunger-relief projects to benefit Food Lion Feeds and its partner food banks. Blanton was selected for her work leading the store’s food rescue efforts, in which near-date food still safe for human consumption is donated to local feeding agencies. Because of her commitment, First Union Food Pantry received more than 34,000 pounds of food, helped almost 10,000 families and reduced the amount of food it had to buy.

The “Store That Roars” Award – Store #1368, New Bern, N.C. This award honors a Food Lion store that demonstrates outstanding skills in coordinating and motivating store associates, customers and volunteers for hunger-relief projects on behalf of Food Lion Feeds and its partner food banks. Store #1368 was chosen for its exceptional efforts to support the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and its affiliated agencies through continuing food rescue donations, and for its support of in-store Food Lion Feeds campaigns that support the food bank and its local agencies.

Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion’s hunger-relief platform, has donated 750 million-plus meals to neighbors in need since 2014 and has pledged to provide 1.5 billion meals by 2025 through a combination of product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; volunteer hours by associates; in-store retail campaigns; and the company’s food rescue program.

The grocer first began presenting the annual Feedy’s awards in 2016.

Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 82,000 associates. Its parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize operating more than 2,000 stores across 23 states, is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.