Walmart Puerto Rico, store suppliers partner to ease food insecurity
The Fight Against Hunger campaign will raise funds for the Puerto Rico Food Bank’s La Mochila Alegre program throughout March.
Walmart Puerto Rico has joined forces with store suppliers for the Fight Against Hunger campaign, running from March 1-31 across all Walmart locations on the island. The initiative aims to address food insecurity, which affects more than 30% of Puerto Rico’s population.
The retailer cited statistics showing that one in three families in Puerto Rico lives in poverty, significantly limiting access to nutritious food. Walmart has been actively involved in hunger relief efforts for more than a decade.
Funds raised during the campaign will benefit La Mochila Alegre, a program by the Puerto Rico Food Bank that provides food and snacks to children ages 3 to 12 from low-income communities year-round.
“Our commitment to the well-being of the communities on the island includes contributing to eradicating hunger, especially in our children, who are the most defenseless and who, without adequate nutrition, will not be able to achieve integral development to face the future,” said Coral Cummings, director of government relations and public affairs at Walmart Puerto Rico.
The Fight Against Hunger campaign is supported by 17 brands, which will donate between 15 cents and 25 cents for each participating product purchased at Walmart stores throughout Puerto Rico.
“We extend an invitation to our customers so that, as in previous years, they support this effort that provides food to thousands of Puerto Rican families,” Cummings added, noting that since 2009, Walmart has been one of the Puerto Rico Food Bank’s main donors, contributing millions of dollars in food donations.
“At the Food Bank, we have been working for 36 years to make our vision of eradicating hunger in Puerto Rico a reality, because we believe that all people, at all times, should have access to the fundamental resources they need to reach their full potential,” said Mari Jo Laborde, executive director of the Puerto Rico Food Bank.
Between fiscal year 2023-24, the Puerto Rico Food Bank distributed 20 million pounds of food, benefiting 1.8 million people in the island’s 78 municipalities. More than 1,700 children participate in the Mochila Alegre program each year, receiving over 88,000 backpacks filled with food during the 52 weekends of the year.
