Feed the Hungry partners with local travel agency to give away 50,000 meals to families in need

GARDEN CITY, Ga. (WSAV) – Bookwell Travel agency donated over 50,000 meals to Feed the Hungry at their Empowerment Center. The organizations teamed up to host a drive-thru giveaway to help feed local families facing food insecurity. Every booking through the company gives 20 meals to those less fortunate.

Leading up to the donation, Bookwell Travel founder Brian Gates ran from the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, a local hospitality venue that supports Bookwell Travel’s philanthropic mission, to the Feed the Hungry Empowerment Center to raise awareness of the hunger that families can face when food support runs out. Gates ran a total of 42.6 miles.

Meanwhile, volunteers helped pack bags filled with canned goods, boxed foods and produce. As one of the biggest giveaways yet, it’s no surprise the need was there as cars piled in one by one.

“When we are in the position to help these families who have been hit so hard because of the pandemic, we do what we can. Now, the working middle class is food insecure so being able to support them anyway we can is our motivation and our effort,” says Operations Director for Bookwell Travel, Stephanie Johnson.

With president Joe Biden signing off on the trillion dollar covid-19 relief bill, state representative Carl Gilliard says many families will be relieved. However, his organization doesn’t plan on stopping until all needs are met.

“We’ve determined right now the vaccines are out, the masks are still being held and we’re still doing social distancing. People are still hurting and financially, their pocket books are still hurting,” Gilliard adds.

Feed the Hungry is hosting events all throughout the month of March. The next community outreach event will be a gas giveaway happening March 6th. For more information on this giveaway and others coming up, you can visit their website by clicking here.