Walmart hands over $100,000 to Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Wednesday, March 9, 2011 the Walmart Foundation handed four Fresno charities their share of a $100,000 from the 'Fighting Hunger Together' Facebook campaign.

The campaign brought those groups together and has given them the benefit of a new and unified collaboration.

Amelia Newfeld of the Walmart Foundation came to Fresno to hand out the many, "We are really excited to be here today and pass out the giant checks."

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin thanked Walmart for its commitment to end hunger and to everyone who went on Facebook to 'like' Fresno.

She told those gathered at the Community Food Bank in southeast Fresno the effort put Fresno on the map, "People reaching out saying hunger matters, poverty matters, we can do something about it."

Community food bank CEO Andy Souza told us these four groups came together to offer more to those in need, "This is a hundred thousand and we're gonna take it a long way.

We made sure when we partnered with catholic charities and Poverello and Salvation Army that we were reaching out far beyond what we do at the food bank."

Souza explained that the four agencies splitting the $100,000 will work together using the Walmart funds to assist those living on the valley's Westside, hit hard by layoffs and prolonged unemployment..

Captain Dwaine Breazeale of the Salvation Army Fresno told us, "The people in this community are seeing that hunger exists every single day, not just on the holidays."

With the money Catholic Charities will receive will enable it to assist those same people to tap into other sources of income so their meager income can be spent on healthy foods.

"We are always looking for ways creative ideas to serve outside the brick and mortar buildings because many of our communities don't have a place to go," Catherine Manfred said.

And these new funds will also allow Fresno's Poverello house to feed weekend meals to children and families.

Andy Souza added that from its Facebook beginning to this days' check delivery it was truly a team effort, "It was a great spirit of camaraderie, a great spirit of community and that's one thing you know this valley is full of and that's people who care deeply about where they live."

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fresno, fresno county, charity, facebook, local

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