Dash In, a Wills Group company, announced today $200,000 in unrestricted grants to four major food banks operating across the Mid-Atlantic region: Food Bank of Delaware, Maryland Food Bank, Feed More, and Capital Area Food Bank.
Since 2017, Dash In has focused its charitable giving and volunteerism on ending childhood hunger across the communities it serves. On a normal day, one in seven children lives with hunger. Right now, without access to meals in school and the economic and social challenges caused by COVID-19, kids and their families are facing new and ever-changing challenges to get the food they need.
“Given the struggles and unprecedented demand our food bank partners are having due to school closures and increasing unemployment rates, we had to act.” said Julian B. Wills, III, president, Dash In. “To help address the needs of hungry children and families in the communities we serve, we want to give food banks the flexible dollars they need to source and distribute food. We hope this donation provides some relief in tackling today’s barriers, along with new challenges that may arise in the coming weeks.”
The four $50,000 unrestricted grants will help support each food bank as they respond to urgent needs in their communities, supporting levels of activity such as pre-made meal kits, modified distribution strategies to reduce gatherings of people, and increased recruitment of younger volunteers to help meet the increased demand.
Dash In invites business partners and community members to join them. Donation pages for each of the food banks can be found at:
- www.fbd.org/onlinedonations
- www.mdfoodbank.org/donate
- www.give.feedmore.org
- www.capitalareafoodbank.org/donate
Dash In team members are also coordinating efforts across the more than 50 Dash In store locations in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia to leverage store resources and explore additional opportunities to support groups in need, with a focus on local food banks and food pantries in each of the communities where Dash In is located.
“Families who once donated their money and time to the Food Bank of Delaware are now in need of assistance themselves,” said Larry Hass, Chief Development Officer, Food Bank of Delaware. “We are so thankful for Dash In’s generous donation. It will enable us to provide 100,000 meals to Delawareans in need. Together, we will get through this.”
In addition to the unrestricted grants announced today, Dash In’s parent company, the Wills Group, also announced that due to the generosity of its employees who participated in a charitable match offered by the company in late 2019, it is distributing an additional $23,000 to nonprofit organizations in Southern Maryland who are actively working to address childhood hunger.
“We are grateful that our core values that have guided us for nearly 100 years will continue to guide us today,” added Wills. “We look forward to working with our partners to identify new opportunities for helping to provide meals and funds to our neighbors in need.”
To learn more about Dash In’s efforts in response to COVID-19, please visit dashin.com/covid-19.
About Dash In
Dash In, a Wills Group company, is a growing convenience food store chain, with more than 50 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Dash In offers a wide variety of great tasting food, along with top selling convenience items and beverages and name brand products. Splash In ECO Car Wash delivers clean, shiny, and convenient washes that are budget and environment-friendly and includes more than 40 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. For more information about Dash In, visit dashin.com. For more information about Splash In, visit splashin.com.