SALISBURY — Rowan Helping Ministries has received $2,500 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to help nourish neighbors experiencing hunger. The Feeding the Hungry grant supports Rowan Helping Ministries’ efforts to end food insecurity by purchasing food for its community kitchen, Jeannie’s Kitchen, and its Food Lion Feeds Food Pantry. In addition, the grants support community feeding partners by helping neighbors increase their access to nutritious food and providing nutrition education to eliminate health risks for those experiencing food insecurity.  

The mission of Rowan Helping Ministries is to serve, through cooperative community action, those in Rowan County who are in crisis, by providing essential life needs and educating and empowering them to break the cycle of crisis. These funds will support two programs that work to address hunger and food insecurity in the Rowan County community. The first, Jeannie’s Kitchen, is a community kitchen that serves three meals a day to guest of Rowan Helping Ministries’ shelter and a noon meal to hungry community members. Last year, Jeannie’s Kitchen served 67,082 meals to the community. The second program, the Food Lion Feeds Food Pantry, provides needy community members with supplemental groceries. In fiscal year 2022-2023, the organization’s food pantries distributed 998,377 pounds of food to 3,194 households. Funding from Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation will allow Rowan Helping Ministries to purchase nutritious food for these programs to complement the in-kind donations they receive from community groups and other sources. 

The Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation is committed to supporting families facing food insecurity across its 10-state footprint. Established in 2001, the foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding local neighbors in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $18.1 million in grants.