Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children, partnered with Perdue and Hope Rescue Mission to provided food and essentials to families in need Thursday morning in Reading.
Held at Hope Rescue Mission on North 6th Street, the distribution event was held to help meet the extraordinary increase in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four-hundred local families received a 25-pound box of food; a 15-pound box of essentials including shampoo, conditioner, lotion and personal care items; shelf-stable items provided by Price Rite Marketplace; and two backpacks filled with school supplies.
The families were pre-identified based on need by Hope Rescue Mission.
Creating the initiative Feeding Minds & Bodies, Price Rite Marketplace’s charitable giving partnered with Feed the Children to make sure no child goes to bed hungry.
The campaign’s goal is help tackle childhood hunger and promote healthy childhood development by providing food, personal care items, books and school supplies throughout the year.
Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children plan to host eight events regionally throughout 2020 to address seasonal issues, such as lack of food during the summer months, back-to-school, and holiday hunger, in addition to the increased need due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the inception of its partnership with Feed the Children in 2015, Price Rite Marketplace has donated nearly 2 million pounds of food and essentials.
Prior to the food distribution event, local officials and representatives from Price Rite, Feed the Children, and Hope Rescue Mission spoke about the importance of giving back to the community.
Speakers included: Jim Dorey, president, Price Rite Marketplace, Joe Allegro, senior director of corporate partnerships, Feed the Children, Rob Turchi, executive director, Hope Rescue Mission, Senator Judith Schwank (D), PA Senate, District 11, Michael S. Rivera, Berks County Commissioner, Councilmember Donna Reed, District 5, Councilmember Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, District 6.
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