Farm Fresh is encouraging the help of its shoppers to meet an urgent need for donations at area food banks with the Farm Fresh “Back-to-School Challenge,” a food drive the company launched last week to help bolster hunger relief efforts throughout the communities it serves.

The Back-to-School Challenge, which will run through the end of September, offers Farm Fresh shoppers the opportunity to provide a grocery bag of food containing items from the 10 greatest need list to local food banks by making a $5 donation at the cash register. All Farm Fresh locations throughout Virginia and North Carolina will participate in the program.

“As a company with close ties to the communities we serve, when our partners at area food banks let us know the dire need they have right now for food donations, we immediately took action to organize a food drive,” said Micky Nye, president of Farm Fresh. “We’re hopeful the program will make a big impact on providing families in need with food to help them transition into the busy back-to-school season.”

A traditionally slow time for donations, this summer Virginia food banks have seen a significant increase in demand for emergency food supplies, according to Joanne Batson, chief executive officer at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.

“It has been particularly tough keeping our shelves stocked this season,” Batson said. “We truly appreciate our generous partners at Farm Fresh for their quick thinking and for coming together with the community to do what they can to help us feed our neighbors who are struggling.”

In addition to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, the Farm Fresh Back-to-School Challenge will benefit FeedMore, which serves 31 counties across Central Virginia, and the Food Bank of the Albemarle.

For more information and to find a participating Farm Fresh location, visit www.FarmFreshSupermarkets.com.