United Family Takes a Bite Out of Hunger

For the third year in a row, United Family stores will help serve the hungry in their local communities by donating more than 30,000 pounds of apples to five local food banks in their trade areas. The donation signals the company’s committed participation in the Take a Bite Out of Hunger program sponsored by FirstFruits Marketing of Washington. FirstFruits created the campaign to help feed the underserved while bringing attention to the problem of food insecurity in the United States. Through the program, United has provided almost 115,000 pounds of apples to area food banks during the past three years. “So often we hear that food banks are in such need of fresh produce on their shelves,” says Joseph Bunting, produce business manager for The United Family. “Take a Bite Out of Hunger allows us to support our communities and provide them with items they may not otherwise have access to.” Apple donations also will arrive Friday (March 28) at Food Bank of West Central Texas, Abilene; High Plains Food Bank, Amarillo; Tarrant Area Food Bank, Fort Worth; South Plains Food Bank, Lubbock; and Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, Wichita Falls. In 2010, 15% of all U.S. households were food-insecure, say organization officials. Of those, 33% were children, 96% reported that the food they bought just did not last and they did not have money to get more, and 94% reported that they could not afford to eat balanced meals. “We take great pride in continuing this program year after year,” says Dennis Jackson, category manager of FirstFruits of Washington. “It truly is an honor to help our retail partners like United Supermarkets make a difference in their communities.”