HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Food Lion announced Thursday that the company plans to help the greater Norfolk area through a new campaign aimed to help support kids and families impacted by the pandemic.

Through the Faces of Hope campaign, Food Lion Feeds is donating 9.5 million meals to Feeding America® partner food banks throughout local communities across the company’s 10-state service area to help with meeting the high food demand as a result of the pandemic.

“Already on the frontlines of ensuring all of our neighbors receive the nourishment they need, our food bank partners are now faced with new challenges from COVID-19 such as increased demand for food, transportation, and volunteer shortages,” said Meg Ham, Food Lion president.

“At Food Lion, we’re proud to work with these incredible organizations every day, and we’re committed to continuing to help ease the additional burden felt by our food bank partners and ensure they can feed families counting on them for their next meal.”

In the greater Norfolk area, Food Lion Feeds — the retailer’s hunger relief initiative — will be donating resources to support multiple gift card donations at several locations supported by the Food Bank of Southeast Virginia and the Eastern Shore.

Additionally, Food Lion Feeds will be restocking several food pantries across the region, and also will makeover two food pantries by providing PPE equipment, new equipment, and restocking shelves.

The list of local organizations being supported is as follows:

• Eastern Shore Chapel of Virginia Beach for Restock the Pantry.
• LGBT Life Center of Norfolk for Restock the Pantry.
• Suffolk Christian Fellowship for Restock the Pantry.
• Tucker Swamp Baptist Church of Zuni for Restock the Pantry.
• Food Bank of Southeast Virginia and the Eastern Shore of Norfolk for distribution of Food Lion gift cards at various events.
• Food Bank of Southeast Virginia and the Eastern Shore of Norfolk for volunteers to stock tables at farmers market-style pop-up event, distribute produce to families, help maintain social distance, and monitor the flow of clients receiving food. 
• LGBT Life Center of Norfolk where Food Lion will donate commercial refrigeration, freezers, and shelving to expand storage capacity and safely store food. 
• Eastern Shore Chapel of Virginia Beach where Food Lion will donate utility carts, thermal pallets, shelving, and additional outdoor equipment to help expand their drive-thru distribution model. Volunteers are needed to assemble utility carts and shelving.
• Wesley Grace UMC of Norfolk where Food Lion will provide three-door freezer, shelving, and utility carts to increase storage capacity. 
• Virginia Peninsula Food Bank of Hampton to help deep clean and sanitize food bank facility with the purchase of Clorox Total 360 System to reduce the risk of shutdown due to pandemic.
• Virginia Peninsula Food Bank of Hampton for gift card distributions at various feeding agencies.

“Nourishing our neighbors is core to everything we do at Food Lion, and we recognize that this is an incredibly difficult time for many,” said Ham. “Our neighbors are counting on us more than ever and we will do our part to bring meals and hope to families in need.”

For more information on Food Lion Feeds click here.

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