With basketball on the minds of many as March Madness continues, the efforts of many basketball teams are continuing to make a difference for those who face hunger issues.

Throughout the 2023-24 college basketball season, Food Lion Feeds partnered with a record 52 collegiate basketball programs, including 15 women’s teams, to address food insecurity. 

Three Salisbury teams, Catawba College men’s and Livingstone men’s and women’s, were among those participating in the program.

With strength in numbers, all of the basketball programs helped provide more than 1.6 million meals to neighbors experiencing hunger, an increase from more than 1.2 million meals during the 2022-23 basketball season. One dollar helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local partner food banks. Through this collaboration, known as Score to Give More, Food Lion Feeds helped provide 100 meals, up to 30,000 meals per team, for every free throw made.

For the Catawba and Livingstone men’s teams, they each made 300 free throws thus providing 30,000 meals per team, and the Livingstone women’s team made 249 free throws, providing 24,900 meals.

The effort benefits campus food pantries and affiliated Feeding America partner food banks, where each school is located throughout Food Lion’s 10-state operating area. Food Lion Feeds was founded in 2014 by Food Lion to address food insecurity in the towns and cities it serves.

“The Score to Give More program strengthens our college partnerships and demonstrates support for our students and student-athletes. We empower them to become agents of change on their campus and in their communities, helping to amplify awareness about food insecurity,” said Kevin Durkee, manager, Food Lion Feeds. “Our Score to Give More program is a meaningful way to make a difference.”

Since 2019, Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 4.9 million meals through the combination of regular season and tournament free throws made by players. In 2023, Food Lion Feeds’ Score to Give More program expanded from 33 to 52 men’s and women’s teams across Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Score to Give More campaign is one of many efforts Food Lion Feeds leads in partnership with college campuses. In addition to this collegiate effort, Food Lion Feeds also teams up with universities for its Sack to Give Back campaign, providing 1,000 meals for every quarterback sack made by the participating institution.

Both Catawba College and Livingstone University participated in this program as well with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina being the food pantry which benefited from food donations.

Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion has helped to provide more than a billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. For more information on Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to ending hunger, go to foodlion.com/feeds.