Kroger’s Atlanta Division partnered with Mimi’s Pantry and Second Helpings Atlanta to host a food pantry drive-thru on the campus of Clark Atlanta University. The drive-thru food pantry event, held on February 26, helped students facing food insecurity at Atlanta’s HBCU campuses.

According to the #RealCollege survey conducted by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, 39% of student respondents reported being food insecure in the prior 30 days.

 “This an alarming statistic,” said Felix Turner manager of corporate affairs for Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “We are honored to join together with our partner organizations to help meet the most basic of student needs.”

Kroger’s Atlanta Division African American Resource Group volunteered to select items and stock bags of groceries for the drive-thru pantry which served 100 students, identified based on enrollment and need criteria established by Mimi’s Pantry. The product was donated by the Kroger store located at 590 Cascade Avenue.

Last year, in honor of Black History Month, Kroger’s Atlanta Division donated $22,000 to Mimi’s Pantry – which serves students at AUC campuses, including Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Interdenominational Theological Center and Morris Brown College. Kroger and Mimi’s Pantry will host a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony later in 2021.

“The donation and our participation in this drive-thru food pantry is a testament to Kroger’s commitment to our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative – and our vision to end hunger in the places we call home,” Turner said. “Zero Hunger | Zero Waste is designed to address a fundamental absurdity in the nation’s food system: 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. is thrown away, yet one in nine Americans, including college students, struggles with hunger.”