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At its recent “Thanks-A-Billion" tour stop in Wake Forest to celebrate reaching its milestone of 1.5 billion meals donated by 2025, the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation announced a $200,000 capital grant for the expansion of ������’s Main Campus and satellite food pantries.
 

"We are proud to partner with ������ in their incredible efforts to combat food insecurity on campus," said Kevin Durkee, manager of Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion. "At Food Lion, caring for and nourishing our neighbors is at the heart of everything we do. By working together, we believe we can truly make a difference for these students in the towns and cities we serve. Our goal is to set students up for success in life by taking away the stress of worrying about where their next meal will come from, so they can concentrate on excelling in school."

The Campus Harvest Food Pantry on ������’s Main Campus offers free bags of non-perishable/shelf-stable groceries, fresh produce, snacks, menstrual products, hygiene products, and diapers/wipes to currently enrolled students, faculty and staff facing food insecurity. The pantry also offers daily snacks and drinks.

“We are so grateful for the support for this vital service from companies like Food Lion and individual contributors who ensure food insecurity is not an obstacle for students learning and achieving success at ������ and a path to upward economic mobility,” said Roxanne Miller, vice president and chief institutional advancement officer for ������. 

This transformative opportunity will allow ������’s Campus Harvest Food Pantry to renovate its current food pantry on Main Campus, create a new food pantry at its Orange County Campus, as well as add snack carts at its Northern Durham Center and Duke Street North locations.

“This generous donation will allow us to serve so many more students,” said Jake Deuterman, coordinator of the food pantry at ������. “We want to meet the needs of our students at all of our campuses, and this will allow us to expand services to ensure food assistance is available where it’s needed.”

������ was one of the first community colleges in the state to have a food pantry, opening its doors in 2013, and has since been a leader in sharing promising practices with other colleges and reducing stigma. The pantry was founded when College leaders realized that many students were coping with food insecurity. 

In 2024, the pantry provided 64,538 pounds of food, impacting 6,822 people, including households with children. 

“I am extremely proud that we are able to provide this service for members of the ������ family,” Deuterman said. “It alleviates financial stress and food insecurity, opening a better pathway to learning and careers.”