Feeding Minds & Bodies campaign donates boxes of food and supplies to families in need

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Hunger remains a major issue across the country, and in Rhode Island, one in five children faces food insecurity.

Hundreds of families in Providence received some much-needed relief Thursday.

At the Providence Culinary Collective, pallets of food and supplies fill the space as volunteers work swiftly, packing, stacking and handing off boxes to families in need.

It’s all part of the Feeding Minds & Bodies campaign, an annual effort by Price Rite Marketplace.

“I can imagine what they’re going through so from me the emotion is just amazing when I see these families and then when we give books to the children and they see all the food and smile on their face that’s a huge success story,” said Joe Allegro, Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships.

Nearly 400 families identified by the Community Action Partnership of Providence and the Boys & Girls Club will go home today with 25-pound boxes of food, hygiene products, backpacks and gift cards.

It’s help that organizers say is critical, especially as summer approaches.

“What’s happening in Washington right now is it’s kind of exasperating the need with the state,” said Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee.

“I will do what I can continue to do what I can but this reduction on the federal level then we’re gonna need more and more organizations like feed the children to engage, even even in a broader way.”

Since 2015, the Feeding Minds & Bodies campaign has reached more than 40,000 families nationwide.

As the need continues, organizers say their work is far from over.

Families were pre-selected by local organizations, but officials said the need extends far beyond this event.

They’re encouraging community members to get involved and help keep food on tables for families across Rhode Island.