The Maricopa Community Colleges Hosts Mobile Food Pantry in Partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank

TEMPE, AZ, June 15, 2020 – Fry’s Food Stores, a division of the Kroger Family of Companies, donated $50,000 to the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation (MCCCDF) to address the urgent food needs of students struggling during the current COVID-19 pandemic as part of Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan to end hunger in communities and eliminate waste across the company by 2025.

The donation was awarded through the Kroger Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2018 to address a fundamental absurdity in our food system: 40% of the food produced is thrown away while 1 in 8 Americans struggle with hunger.

The Fry’s Food Stores donation will help fund an additional 20,000 meals through the MCCCD College pantry sites as well as support the distribution of e-grocery store gift cards to students struggling with food insecurity during this challenging time. On Thursday, June 18, 2020, Glendale Community Colleges hosted a special ceremony where the Maricopa Community Colleges received the $50,000 commitment from Fry’s Food Stores to support the District’s College food pantries. This donation is part of MCCCD’s overall goal to connect students to basic needs, resources, information, and services.

“Closing our campus has created a hardship for thousands of Maricopa Community College students, now without access to campus food pantries. Many of these students face an extreme need due to lost wages from reduced hours or job loss, “said Brian Spicker, Interim President, and CEO Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. “This grant will immediately and directly benefit struggling students to help keep food on the table so they can focus on their education.”