WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Aug. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) today announced a $100,000 donation from the BJ's Charitable Foundation to The Greater Boston Food Bank, a Feeding America^® member food bank. BJ's donation will provide fresh, nutritious food to children across the region through The Greater Boston Food Bank's School-Based Pantry Summer Program.

"BJ's is committed to nourishing our communities and helping families thrive, and we're excited to support The Greater Boston Food Bank's School-Based Pantry Summer Program," said Kirk Saville, executive director, BJ's Charitable Foundation. "Hunger-relief programs are crucial for children and families who lose access to school lunches in the summer. Through our partnership with Feeding America, we're helping to provide access to fresh, healthy food to families when school is out for the summer." 

With BJ's $100,000 grant, The Greater Boston Food Bank will increase the number of fresh, nutritious meals distributed to children and families through its Summer Pantry Programs. The grant will enable the food bank to expand its efforts to reach more children and families this summer. 

"Hunger doesn't take a summer break," said Catherine D'Amato, president and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank. "We're incredibly thankful for BJ's grant to support our Summer Pantry Programs, which will allow us to increase the number of healthy meals we distribute to families at a time when they need it most."

In addition to the grant, BJ's team members volunteered at The Greater Boston Food Bank to sort and package healthy food to distribute at school-based pantries. The Greater Boston Food Bank delivers the nutritious food directly to partner sites, where it is displayed in a farmer's market environment for children and families.

During the school year, more than 22 million children receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. In the summer months, fewer than 4 million children receive free or reduced-priced meals through the USDA Summer Food Service Program. From mobile and school pantries to congregate meal sites in public areas like summer camps, the Feeding America network operates different program models to increase the number of meals provided to children over the summer.

Since 2009, BJ's has provided ongoing support to Feeding America through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities® program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider and more diverse audiences.

In addition to summer programming and capacity-building grants from the BJ's Charitable Foundation, BJ's has secured over 70 million pounds of donated food, including fresh produce, frozen meats and fish, baked goods and dairy items, and helped distribute 58 million meals to neighbors in need through the BJ's Feeding Communities® program.

To learn more about the BJ's, visit BJs.com.

About BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs on the East Coast of the United States. The company currently operates 215 clubs and 135 BJ's Gas® locations in 16 states. 

BJ's provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with top-quality, leading brands, including its exclusive Wellsley Farms^® and Berkley Jensen^® brands, along with USDA Choice meats, premium produce and delicious organics, many in supermarket sizes. BJ's is also the only major membership warehouse club to accept all manufacturers' coupons.

The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:BJ).

About The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. GBFB provides the equivalent of nearly 50 million healthy meals annually distributed through its network of 530 member agencies in the 190 cities and towns across Eastern Massachusetts. GBFB operates four direct service programs at nearly 70 sites throughout the area. A member of Feeding America, the nation's food bank network, GBFB serves more than 140,000 people every month in its mission to create a hunger-free Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, visit us at GBFB.org, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank), or call us at 617.427.5200.

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SOURCE BJ's Wholesale Club