SEATTLE, Wash. (Aug. 14, 2014) - In a state where over 1-­million residents are food insecure and one-­in-­four children live in households struggling to put food on the table, the Walmart Foundation's influx of $184,000 in funding for hunger-­related programming could not come at a better time.

"Summer is a hungry time for our kids. Only one in 10 kids who receives a free school lunch in Washington state has access to summer meal programs, and we rank 38th out of 50 states for reaching these children," said Northwest Harvest CEO Shelley Rotondo. "The $30,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation will be used for weekend meals for over 4,000 school-­‐age kids. This money means more Washington families are going to be able to put food on the table."

But it is not just families that use Northwest Harvest's services that are benefiting. Tacoma-­area's Making a Difference Foundation received $55,000 for its food bank delivery service, Hopelink received $50,000 for its Emergency Feeding Services program serving north and east King County, and the Marysville Community Food Bank received $49,000 for a new refrigerated truck used to pick-­up and distribute food donations. This is in addition to the Walmart Foundation's $50,000 grant to Senior Services' Meals on Wheels program and a $30,000 grant to the Renton-­area Emergency Feeding Program.

"At Walmart, we believe that every person deserves access to fresh, nutritious food," said Madeleine Havener, vice president and regional general manager for Walmart. "Last year alone Walmart's financial support and in-­kind donations provided the equivalent of about $8.7 million meals for Washington residents. We are proud of that and proud to work with such a great network of non-­profit partners to address this critical issue."

This year's donations are part of the company's $2 billion commitment to fight hunger in America-a program launched by the Walmart Foundation in 2010-which aims to provide 1.1 million pounds of food from Walmart stores and $250 million in grants to hunger-­related non-­profits by 2015.

About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the communities it serves and make a significant social impact within its core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Career Opportunity and Women's Economic Empowerment. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States with a $2 billion commitment through 2015. Walmart has donated more than 1.3 billion meals to those in need across the country.foundation.walmart.com.

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