Walmart, Sam’s Club and Feeding America Launch the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign to Help East Texas Food Bank Provide Meals to People in Need

ETFB Continues to Address Increased Need Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

One in five East Texans, including one in three children, are facing hunger this year due to the ongoing economic fallout from COVID-19. Neighbors in our community are struggling to put food on the table – many facing this difficult reality for the first time in their lives.

That is why Walmart and Sam’s Club are supporting the Feeding America® nationwide network of food banks, including the East Texas Food Bank, through the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign.  Now in its eighth year, the campaign has been a way for Walmart and Sam’s Club to partner with suppliers, customers and members to help provide food to people in need.

The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign launched this week in store and online and continues until May 3. There are three easy ways for customers and members to participate:

“Families all across the 26 East Texas counties we serve have faced a number of challenges this past year and we have worked hard to serve our neighbors in their time of need. Walmart and Sam’s Club have been a true partner in the fight against hunger,” said East Texas Food Bank CEO Dennis Cullinane. “We are truly grateful for Walmart, Sam’s Club and their suppliers, members and customers for their generous support.”

Currently, 239,800 East Texans are facing hunger. At the peak of the pandemic, ETFB served 74 percent more families than the previous year and are still seeing an increased need for food assistance.

“Even as the state reopened and vaccines are becoming accessible, it is still going to be a long road to economic recovery for so many of the families we serve — let’s give them a hand,” Cullinane added.

Even with the pandemic affecting the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign last year, the campaign still awarded ETFB enough funds to provide nearly 875,000 meals for the East Texas community.

“Fighting hunger means more than just feeding people. It means helping them on a path to fulfill their potential, because nutritious food is the foundation for good health and wellbeing,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Walmart. “Central to our mission at Walmart is helping people live better and that includes ensuring they have access to nutritious food. In its eighth year, Fight Hunger. Spark Change. continues to provide communities a way to support local food banks alongside their neighbors, trusted brands and their local Walmart and Sam’s Club.”

To learn more about the campaign, click here.

About East Texas Food Bank: Established in 1988, the East Texas Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief nonprofit in East Texas, covering 26 counties. ETFB works to feed our community through a network of 200+ partner agencies and feeding programs and strengthen families by providing nutrition education and benefits assistance and lead the community in hunger-relief work. To learn more, visit EastTexasFoodBank.org.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, over 265 million customers and members visit approximately 11,500 stores under 56 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2020 revenue of $524 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart.

Sam’s Club®, a division of Walmart, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products, savings and services to millions of members in nearly 600 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Now in its 37th year, Sam’s Club continues to redefine warehouse shopping with its highly curated assortment of high-quality fresh food and Member’s Mark items, in addition to market leading technologies and services like Scan & Go, Club Pickup and home delivery service in select markets. To learn more about Sam’s Club, visit the Sam’s Club Newsroom, shop at SamsClub.com, and interact with Sam’s Club on Twitter and Facebook.

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.