Harvest Food Bank Receives $5000 Donation and Food-Filled Backpacks

Domtar Ashdown Mill employees will present approximately $5,000, along with dozens of backpacks filled with non-perishable, kid-friendly food items, to Harvest Regional Food Bank on Thursday, August 29, at 9AM, at the Domtar Ashdown Mill Facility.

According to the press release, the donations will support Harvest Regional Food Bank’s Backpack Food For Kids program, in Little River County, which reaches over 100 school aged children with nutritious foods for the weekend.

“Domtar proudly supports Harvest Regional Food Bank’s efforts to fight childhood hunger right here in our local community,” according to Domtar Ashdown Mill Management.  “Our employees believe in supporting our neighbors, which is why we were happy to come together again to support this much needed program.

Over the last several weeks, Domtar employees that are part of the Ashdown Mill’s SWAT (Safety Wellness Activities Team) coordinated the collection of food and monetary donations to fill each backpack with kid-friendly non-perishable food items, as well as fund Harvest Regional Food Bank’s Backpack Food program for least 50 children.  The “Backpack Food Program” provides a weekend package of kid-friendly, shelf-stable, self-serve foods to children identified by their school as 'chronically hungry.'  These children qualify for Federal free school breakfast and lunch and the school staff has reason to believe that these meals may be the only regular meals the children receive.  Employee volunteers worked together to load up the backpacks for delivery to the Harvest Regional Food Bank, following a check presentation ceremony at Domtar’s Ashdown mill.

“We are so grateful for the commitment that Domtar and their employees have made to the fight against childhood hunger,” said Harvest Regional Food Bank CEO and Executive Director, Camille Coker Wrinkle. “Since 2014, Domtar’s support has made it possible to provide nearly 7,000 weekend bags of food to over 250 local school-aged children here in Little River County, who might not otherwise have enough to eat from Friday afternoon until Monday morning.”