The Giant Co. Partnership Looks to Eliminate Food Desert in Harrisburg, Pa.

Carlisle, Pa.-based The Giant Co. is aiming to transform a Harrisburg, Pa., food desert into a "food oasis" through a garden-development partnership with the Harrisburg-based Empower at the Bridge Foundation. With a two-year grant from The Giant Co., the partners will cultivate a “Giant Bleacher Garden” to help serve food-insecure area families in the Harrisburg community, The Giant Co. said in statement.

The Giant Co., which in April released its first community impact report, and representatives of the Empower at the Bridge Foundation joined Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf on May 20 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the Giant Bleacher Garden at the former Bishop McDevitt High School.

The grocery retailer said its $90,000 sponsorship over two years will enable the foundation to repurpose the bleachers at the former Bishop McDevitt football field into high-yield community gardens that will feed underserved families. The Giant Co. also said that company employees will provide volunteer support to help launch the garden. "This project aligns with [employees'] commitment to heal our planet and eliminate hunger in the communities they serve," the retailer said in a statement.

"By joining forces with innovative organizations like Empower at the Bridge Foundation, we can make a lasting difference," Glennis Harris, SVP of customer experience at The Giant Co., stated. "Each growing season, the GIANT Bleacher Garden’s harvest will serve as a tangible symbol of our purpose, connecting families for a better future."

Harris said The Giant Co. is proud to be a part of this "incredible project that will help eliminate hunger, heal our planet and create a better tomorrow for the community."

Garry Gilliam, CEO of The Bridge Eco-Village, a "for-purpose" real-estate development corporation, said in a statement that “supporting families who struggle to put healthy food on their tables while converting food deserts like the City of Harrisburg into a food oasis is the core of our mission at Empower at The Bridge Foundation.” Gilliam added: “With the GIANT Bleacher Garden at The Bridge, we start an agricultural revolution in Central Pennsylvania. Thank you to The Giant Co. and our valuable community partner Harrisburg City F.A.R.M., Governor and Mrs. Wolf, and all our dedicated volunteers.”

The Giant Co. said this partnership will provide food-insecure families with fresh produce including lettuces, salad mixes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, Asian greens, as well as edible flowers and more in the months ahead. The Giant Co. and Planet Bee donated beehives to help with pollination and to produce honey, the grocery retailer added.

“When we work together, communities can be revitalized and success ensured,” said Governor Tom Wolf in a statement.

Wolf also recognized the grocery retailer’s efforts to support the communities it serves.  “Separately, The Giant Co. is once again stepping up to feed Pennsylvania, and specifically an underserved community with The GIANT Bleacher Garden.” Wolf said. “Together, these projects will change lives—and that is the power of partnerships.”

Looking ahead, Gilliam said that teaching neighbors to grow their own food is the end goal. “Food security and food localization are at the core of the solutions when we talk about children’s attention spans at school, health and wellness disparities, economic restoration and beyond,” Gilliam said in a statement. “Food security and food localization need to be at the core of this revolution if we are going to create significant and meaningful change.”

The Giant Co., an Ahold Delhaize company, operates nearly 190 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia under the Giant, Martin's and Giant Heirloom Market banners. 

The company recently opened a 72,500-square-foot store in Doylestown, Pa. More information on the garden, including the opportunity to donate, can be found here.