VALDOSTA — The 7th Annual Grimmway Farms Canned Food Drive recently donated more than 7,300 pounds of food to families in need, including families in South Georgia.

Grimmway’s employees joined together to collect non-perishable food items in a friendly competition among departments. This year, the combined totals from the Georgia and California food drives resulted in 7,017 items donated.

The items collected during the food drive were donated to two food banks. A total of 7,365 pounds of items collected in California were given to Community Action Partnership of Kern and those collected in Georgia were donated to Second Harvest of South Georgia.

Grimmway also matched 100% of all employee-donated items, doubling the impact to those in need.

“We are incredibly proud of our teams in both California and Georgia for stepping up this year.

This annual tradition is not just about collecting cans; it’s about giving back to our communities that we are so grateful to live and work in,” said Jeff Huckaby, president and CEO.

“During this time of increased inflation and higher cost of living, we are happy to lend a hand to help bless families in our communities throughout the holiday season.”

The 26-county service areas of South Georgia have among the highest rates of food insecurity in the state.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a generous family of employees,” said Sara Oliver, chief people officer, “Every year, we are happy to play a part to help meet the need before us and feel fortunate that we are able to partner with such impactful organizations that are on the front lines of addressing food insecurity in our communities.”

Headquartered in Bakersfield, California, Grimmway Farms is the largest producer of USA-grown organic fruits and vegetables and the world’s largest producer of carrots. Grimmway’s operations span seven states and encompass more than 50,000 acres of certified organic produce and 45,000 acres of carrots.