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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gives large donation to local food bank

Published  April 23, 2020 10:06pm EDT
COVID-19 and the Economy
FOX 5 Atlanta

Food bank raises more than $1 million to feed Georgians

The director of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia says the need for food is greater right now.

ATHENS, Ga. - One million in less than a month is how much the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia has raised to feed North Georgians.

Half of that came from Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos.

That’s enough to provide 1.8 million meals to people who need food.

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With higher demand, food banks must look to donations to survive.

“Frankly when I got the news, I couldn’t stop laughing. It is a remarkable amount of money for what we’re doing. This is a very necessary time to have that kind of funding,” said Chuck Toney, the executive director of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.

Bezos donated $100 million to Feeding America, which oversees food banks across the nation.

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The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia received nearly half a million dollars of that money.

“Frankly, the most significant thing somebody can do is make a monetary donation," Toney said. "We always appreciate food donations, and we’ll always welcome those, but I can really stretch a dollar farther than a can of beans.”

For $10, they can provide up to 40 meals -- 400,000 meals just this month.

With the donation from Bezos, they reached the amount of money they expected to raise in an entire year.

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The local food bank will use the money to buy food of course plus equipment such as forklifts, vehicles, storage units and refrigerators.

“When I came to the food bank about 18 months ago, I told the staff we’re all mission people," Toney said. "We all want to make the world a better place, and I get to wake up every day and ask myself that question: ‘Are we going to make the world a better place today?' We make it better by feeding people who are hungry.”

The food bank no longer accepts volunteers out of safety reasons. For now, they rely on seven Georgia National Guard members. The best way you can help is to donate at their website: https://foodbanknega.org

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.

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