Wal-Mart Kicks Off Hunger Relief Effort

ATLANTA - A national foundation is teaming up with Wal-Mart to undertake one of history's largest food drives.

Their goal -- to ensure all American's have a hot meal on their table this holiday season.

According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, last year about 50 million Americans were too poor to buy food items.

"Thanksgiving is just around the coer and we want to make sure that no family goes hungry during the holidays," said Mike Caspar of Wal-Mart.

That's why the Wal-Mart Foundation has stepped up to kick off the largest hunger relief effort in the nation. Their first donation was 46,000 pounds of food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

"Now, more than ever, families are really relying on food outreach programs to try and put food on the table. There's really no reason that anyone in America should go hungry," said Caspar.

Pallet upon pallet of canned food, dry goods, will be leaving to go to agencies who have families in need.

"We are in uncharted times when in comes to people reaching out to food pantries and shelters to get assistance," said Rob Johnson of the Atlanta Food Bank.

Food bank officials say the slump in the economy has prompted people who have never needed before to now knock on their doors for help. Last year, more than 30 million pounds of food was supplied to needy families.

Wal-Mart will be collecting non-perishable food items in all of their stores across the nation for the next week. All of the food collected in Metro Atlanta will feed families in the area.

Food bank officials say while the holidays highlight the need, their goal is ensure every mouth is fed year round.

"A lot of these will be going out to families in the next month. But we need these canned foods also to go out in January, February, March, after the peak giving season is gone," said Johnson.

For more on the Feeding America Program, click here and to vote to help fight hunger in the Atlanta area, visit the Wal-Mart Facebook page by clicking here!