Hy-Vee, Incorporated has partnered with its melon vendor Sol Group to donate more than 7,200 fresh cantaloupes to Second Harvest Community Food Bank in Saint Joseph. Hy-Vee delivered the cantaloupes to Second Harvest Wednesday.
Second Harvest Communications Coordinator Blake Haynes says the donation comes as food banks across Missouri and Kansas struggle to keep their shelves stocked due to increased demand due to various reasons associated with the Coronavirus.
The donation will assist Second Harvest in providing food to individuals in need within Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas. Before the pandemic, Second Harvest had a food insecurity total of more than 46,900 (46,910), which continues to rise.
Sol Group Marketing Head of Sales Adam Lazo says “Hy-Vee has always been about giving back to communities,” and it wants to do “everything [it] can to help them take care of those in need.”
Hy-Vee Senior Vice President of Communications Tina Potthoff says Hy-Vee is “extremely grateful for Sol Group’s partnership.” She notes the companies “are committed to helping…local food banks and hope this donation will provide some relief.”
The donation to Second Harvest is part of a series of donations Hy-Vee and Sol are making to help provide fresh melons to families and food banks in Hy-Vee’s eight-state region.
