Food Lion Feeds Donates 805,000 Meals During Collegiate Football Season

Thirty-four collegiate football teams participated in the annual Sack to Give Back program, topping last season’s donation totals

SALISBURY, N.C., Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food Lion Feeds is donating the equivalent of more than 805,000 meals* to campus food pantries and local Feeding America partner food banks through its annual Sack to Give Back program. This surpasses the previous season’s total of 793,000 meals, strengthening access to nutritious and reliable food for college students. Food Lion Feeds is Food Lion’s hunger-relief platform, founded in 2014 to help address food insecurity across the omnichannel retailer’s 10-state footprint.

During the 2025 collegiate football season, Food Lion Feeds provided the equivalent of 1,000 meals for every quarterback sack recorded by the 34 participating teams, up to 30,000 meals per school. The donations nourish campus food pantries or, where on-campus pantries are not available, nearby Feeding America partner food banks serving college communities.

“At Food Lion, we know hunger doesn’t follow a schedule,” said Kevin Durkee, Manager, Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion. “As students return to campus for a new semester, we want them to be able to focus on their education instead of where their next meal will come from. We are grateful our Sack to Give Back program strengthens campus food pantries and helps students thrive.”

Since launching in 2019, the Sack to Give Back program has helped provide the equivalent of more than 4.6 million meals to students and families in need. Food Lion Feeds also partners with universities through its Score to Give More campaign, which provides the equivalent of 100 meals for every free throw made, up to 30,000 meals per participating team at each school.

The Sack to Give Back participating schools and season totals include:

Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion has helped provide more than 1.5 billion meals to individuals and families and has committed to donating 3 billion meals*** by 2032. For more information on Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to ending hunger, visit foodlion.com/feeds.

*$1 helps provide the equivalent of 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local partner food banks.

**Food Lion Feeds provides up to 2,000 meals for every quarterback sack made in participating championship games.

***Food Lion Feeds helps address food insecurity by providing product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; investing in capital campaign support for feeding agencies; and volunteer hours by associates. These investments are converted to a meal equivalent based on various meal equivalent formulas.

About Food Lion
Food Lion is an omnichannel grocery retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. With a focus on hunger relief, Food Lion is a pioneer in food rescue. Since 2014, the company’s hunger relief platform Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 1.5 billion meals to those who are food insecure. The retailer has committed to donate 3 billion meals by 2032. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/21a92e18-8a13-49b7-88bb-67da18abd8fc

Sack to Give Back

Caption: From left, Lindsey Babcock, Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator; Alvin Farrow, Director of Operations, Food Lion; and Kristen Atwell, Senior Manager of Business Development, Wake Forest Sports Properties, join Food Lion Feeds in donating 21,000 meals* to Feeding America partner Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. The donation supports college students on nearby campuses, including Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. The photo of the check presentation does not represent the final results at Wake Forest University; it only represents donation to date when the check presentation occurred.

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