The donation specifically benefits the St. Louis Area Foodbank School-Based Market Program, which offers students and families choice and access to nutritious food to help reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and improve long-term health and wellness. The Program includes 13 local School Markets located throughout Missouri and Illinois, connecting over 1,600 families with 80,000 pounds of food, and providing over 60,000 meals to students and families to date.
"With the holiday season among us, our community must put its best foot forward to help support those throughout St. Louis in need of food security," says Fresh Thyme Market President, Gerald Melville, in the press release. “As a company rooted in serving our local communities, we aim to promote wellness by providing residents with real, locally sourced products at affordable prices. Due to our partnership with the St. Louis Food Bank, which was a true culmination of efforts, we are proud to be able to give back to those who help keep our neighborhood afloat."
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The donation coincided with the grand opening of Fresh Thyme’s new concept store, which took place on November 10 in the St. Louis City Foundry area. It’s the third donation in recent times: In September 2020, Fresh Thyme donated $125,000 to the program, and in October 2020, the retailer donated over $1 million across 32 local food banks throughout the Midwest.
