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Four Utah charities will share $147,600 from The Wal-Mart Foundation.
Grants were recently awarded to Catholic Community Services of Utah, Friends for Sight, St. Anne's Center and the Utah Food Bank.
"Food insecurity is a major issue in the United States with one in four people not knowing where they will get their next meal," said Madeleine Havener, vice president and regional general manager for Wal-Mart.
Catholic Community Services of Utah expects to use its $25,000 grant to purchase new shelves at the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden, northern Utah's largest food distribution center. The Hall Food bank annually distributes more than 2 million pounds of food to thousands of individuals and families facing hunger each year.
Friends for Sight will use its $30,500 grant to enhance its vision screening program, which screened 30,000 people a year ago. Executive director Kate Edwards said the grant could double the number of people helped in the next three years.
The St. Anne's Center in Ogden plans to use its $42,100 grant to purchase kitchen equipment for a new soup kitchen. The center prepares 58,000 meals each year for the homeless and hungry in northern Utah.
The Utah Food Bank will use its $50,000 grant to purchase one vehicle, a refrigeration unit and key food items, helping southern Utah residents suffering from hunger.
The donations drew praise from Utah governor Gary Herbert.
"The important work these four organizations are doing to promote healthy living along the Wasatch Front is highly commendable," said the governor. "We appreciate the support that Wal-Mart and the Wal-Mart Foundation are providing these organizations so that they can continue to help improve the lives of the people in our state."
The Utah State Giving Council awards grants to eligible nonprofits twice a year. In early 2013, the Wal-Mart Foundation's Utah State Giving Program granted a total of $152,400 to Community Action Services and Food Bank, Salt Lake Donated Dental Services and Volunteers for America, Utah.
To be considered for support, organizations must submit applications through the Wal-Mart Foundation State Giving Program's online grant application. Guidelines are available at http://www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.
In an effort to stem hunger, Wal-Mart and the Wal-Mart Foundation have committed $2 billion through 2015.
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