Oct. 3, 2013. Mast General Store, Merrell Footwear, and the Hunger and Health Coalition are partnering to provide children in the High Country with weekend food, and you can help. For each pair of Merrell shoes purchased at Mast Store October 14th through 31st, Merrell will fill a pack with food to feed a child for a weekend.
In keeping with the traditions of a general store, the Mast Store strives to be an active part of its communities. The overall health of where Mast Store does business is important, so when the staggering figures on hungry children were brought to the forefront, they knew they couldn’t do it themselves. So, they looked for a like-minded partner, which turned out to be Merrell Footwear.
Merrell understands the need to support our youth and is actively encouraging young people to become acquainted with the outdoors and to be active through their own programs. With a mutual concern for children, who will be our next leaders, business people, and scientists, it makes sense that we should help them be able to learn and not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
This year marks the fourth year that Merrell Footwear and Mast Store have partnered together to benefit the Hunger and Health Coalition for Food for Kids. During an average month, nearly 2,500 people receive food from the Hunger and Health Coalition’s Food Pantry. One in three people served is a child under the age of 18. Three of their six programs are geared specifically to help alleviate childhood hunger in our area:
Snacks for Scholars provides healthy snacks to children of families that need food assistance. Healthy Start provides healthy snack bags to preschool age children attending Head Start. The Backpack Program also provides backpacks of food every Friday to high school children so they won’t have to go hungry over the weekend.
Through the combined efforts of the partnership between Merrell Footwear and Mast Store, over 3,600 backpacks of weekend food were provided in 2012, but the need is still there. We all can make a difference. To find out more about how you can help fight hunger in the High Country, please visit mastgeneralstore.com.
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About Mast General Store:
Mast General Store offers quality merchandise, fair prices, and friendly service in nine communities across North and South Carolina as well as Tennessee. Highly valuing good neighbor practices, each store invests itself in a variety of community partnerships throughout the year. Mast General Store is proud to partner with Merrell Footwear in support of Food For Kids 2013.
About Merrell Footwear:
Merrell has been a national footwear leader, offering high-performance hiking boots for over thirty years. Merrell’s mission? “Treating our people and communities with respect is important to us. Each year we donate aid and thousands of employee hours in support of community organizations and causes. We care about our neighbors and colleagues.”
About the Hunger & Health Coalition:
The Coalition plays a vital role in our community, helping relieve poverty and hunger in a compassionate manner for families and individuals who are experiencing economic hardship and food shortages. The Coalition’s help is imperative as Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties have seen a 35% increase in need for food assistance since 2012.
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