FORT MYERS – Walmart and Sam's Club are helping strengthen hunger relief across Southwest Florida through their annual "Fight Hunger. Spark Change." campaign and year-round food donations that support Harry Chapin Food Bank and its network of more than 175 agency partners.

Throughout the 13th annual "Fight Hunger. Spark Change." campaign, held April 6-May 3, local shoppers, associates, suppliers and supporters raised $50,202 for Harry Chapin Food Bank to help provide nutritious food to neighbors facing hunger across Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

As Southwest Florida's largest hunger-relief organization and the region's only Feeding America partner food bank, Harry Chapin Food Bank serves as the central hub for hunger relief, providing food directly to neighbors through its programs and distributions. Its network of more than 175 agency partners extends that reach, bringing nutritious food to families, children and seniors in the communities they serve.

Walmart's support extends beyond financial contributions. Through its year-round food donation program, local Walmart stores provide food that Harry Chapin Food Bank coordinates for distribution through its agency network. Partners such as Interfaith Charities pick up donated food directly from Walmart stores, helping streamline the process and get nutritious food into their communities more efficiently.

This partnership contributes to Harry Chapin Food Bank's broader impact, including its recent milestone of 500 million pounds of food distributed since its founding. The support comes at a critical time, when one in seven people and one in five children in Southwest Florida experience food insecurity.

"Our agency partners are essential to the work we do because they know their communities and the neighbors who need help," said Richard LeBer, president and CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank. "Walmart and Sam's Club help make that work possible through financial support and ongoing food donations. By connecting those resources with our network of local partners, we can get more nutritious food to more people, closer to where they live."

The "Fight Hunger. Spark Change." campaign demonstrates what is possible when shoppers, retailers, food manufacturers and hunger-relief organizations work together to support local families. Since 2014, the campaign has generated more than $245 million for Feeding America and local partner food banks nationwide, helping secure more than 2.4 billion meals for people facing hunger ($1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local partner food banks).

“What I love about 'Fight Hunger. Spark Change.' is that it starts right in our communities. It’s a customer or member adding a donation at checkout, an associate volunteering, a food bank team loading a truck or a local pantry helping a family put dinner on the table,” said Kayla Burton, senior manager of cause marketing and customer engagement at Walmart. “All of those individual actions add up, and we’re proud to work alongside Feeding America and local food banks to help neighbors get the food they need.”

The campaign builds on more than 20 years of partnership between Walmart, Sam's Club and Feeding America, which has provided more than $300 million and more than 10 billion pounds of food to help nourish communities nationwide.

Beyond the annual campaign, Walmart's year-round food donations and investments help strengthen hunger-relief operations, allowing food banks and their community partners to rescue, transport and distribute more food to people who need it.

Harry Chapin Food Bank encourages community members to help address hunger by volunteering, advocating or donating. To learn more, visit HarryChapinFoodBank.org.