Entergy Arkansas Bright Futures: Focusing Our Philanthropic Work on Food Insecurity

Rhea-AI Summary

Entergy Arkansas is intensifying its philanthropic efforts in June to combat food insecurity, particularly during the summer months when children lose access to school-provided meals. One in five Arkansans faces hunger, with the rate rising to one in four for children.

As the defending champions of the Arkansas Foodbank and KTHV Channel 11 Summer Cereal Drive, Entergy Arkansas was the largest donor last year, contributing over $30,000. The drive aims to provide meals to families year-round, with every $1 donation purchasing a box of cereal equivalent to five meals.

Entergy Arkansas also supports the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, donating $110,000 last year. The alliance includes over 500 members committed to reducing hunger through various initiatives. This year’s activities include the Hunger Action Breakfast, Serving Up Solutions, Watermelon Crawl, and College Hunger Summit.

Additional efforts focus on promoting diversity and inclusion, such as supporting the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Juneteenth in Da Rock commemoration.

Positive

• Entergy Arkansas donated over $30,000 to the Summer Cereal Drive last year.
• The company pledged to increase donations this year.
• Every $1 can provide five meals, showing high efficiency in charitable giving.
• Entergy Arkansas donated $110,000 to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance last year.
• Support includes activities like Hunger Action Breakfast and College Hunger Summit, benefiting ongoing community engagement.

Negative

• High food insecurity rate: One in five Arkansans, and one in four children, face hunger.
• Over 60% of Arkansas children rely on free/reduced school lunches, indicating a high dependency on external food aid.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / June 11, 2024 / During the month of June, Entergy Arkansas is focusing our philanthropic efforts on food insecurity. One in five Arkansans faces hunger - and that number becomes one in four for children. Both statistics make the state the highest for food insecurity in the country.

Summer Cereal Drive

When schools close for the summer, children especially struggle to find food to replace breakfast and lunch they were receiving at school every day. Over 60% of children in Arkansas rely on free and reduced lunches, meaning when summer comes, they are struggling to fill the gaps that those meals provided.

Meeting the basic needs of our most vulnerable customers, such as providing hot meals, is foundational to Entergy's corporate social responsibility objectives. Addressing food insecurity is a vital step in our strategy to develop and support poverty solutions.

Entergy Arkansas is there to help with the summer cereal drive and other programs to help children and their families get the nourishment they need. In fact, we're the defending champions for the Arkansas Foodbank and KTHV Channel 11 Summer Cereal Drive.

Last year, we were the largest donor at just over $30,000 and some change. Every $1 donated can purchase one box of cereal, which provides five meals. And while the cereal and donations are collected in the summer, they are used to provide meals throughout the year to families in need.

We've pledged to defend our position and bring in even more donations this year. You'll see us at donations sites across our service territory, including Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Cabot, Hot Springs and Russellville.

Year-round Giving

The Arkansas Foodbank serves Central Arkansas and is one of six Feeding America food banks that helped found the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The others include Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, Harvest Regional Food Bank, River Valley Regional Food Bank and the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

Entergy Arkansas is a longtime partner to the Alliance, which seeks to advocate on food policy, provide resources, source nutritious food, secure food and funding, promote nutrition education, increase out of school meals participation, and raise awareness of hunger in the state.

Last year, Entergy Arkansas donated $110,000 to the group as part of its Entergy Arkansas Bright Futures campaign celebrating 110 years in the state.

Since its founding in 2001, the Alliance has grown to include more than 500 members: the original six Feeding America food bank members, local food pantries, soup kitchens, food rescue organizations, global food wholesalers and retailers, state level hunger programs and hunger advocates from around the state who are working daily to reduce hunger in Arkansas.

Programs through the Alliance and sponsored by Entergy Arkansas this year will include the Hunger Action Breakfast, Serving Up Solutions, Watermelon Crawl and College Hunger Summit.

While we are putting a lot of effort into addressing food insecurity in June, you'll also see us serving in our community in other ways. One grantee we'll be volunteering to help with is Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Juneteenth in Da Rock commemoration, which happens all month long. It's one of several ways we help create and celebrate diversity, inclusion and belonging for our employees and our communities.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Entergy Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:
Spokesperson: Entergy Corporation
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/entergy-corporation
Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Entergy Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com

FAQ

What is Entergy Arkansas doing to combat food insecurity?

Entergy Arkansas is focusing on food insecurity by participating in the Summer Cereal Drive and supporting the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance with donations and initiatives.

How much did Entergy Arkansas donate to the Summer Cereal Drive last year?

Entergy Arkansas donated over $30,000 to the Summer Cereal Drive last year.

How does Entergy Arkansas plan to address food insecurity in 2024?

In 2024, Entergy Arkansas is intensifying its efforts with the Summer Cereal Drive and year-round programs through the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.

What is the impact of Entergy Arkansas's $1 donation in the Summer Cereal Drive?

Every $1 donation can purchase one box of cereal, providing five meals for families in need.

What additional community programs is Entergy Arkansas involved in?

Entergy Arkansas supports various programs like the Hunger Action Breakfast, Serving Up Solutions, Watermelon Crawl, and College Hunger Summit.