CUMBERLAND, Md. — April 23, 2026 — Allegany County Public Schools is once again a recipient of The GIANT Company's Feeding School Kids program, an initiative that helps local school districts combat childhood hunger through community giving.
"Every year from January 1st to March 31st, we offer at the register where you can round up the total of your purchase, and all of that money goes directly to the Allegany County Public School system," said Jeffrey Nines, a Store Employment Associate with The GIANT Company who works for the Martin’s Food Market in LaVale.
Nines explained that shoppers could also convert their GIANT CHOICE rewards points into a direct donation to their local school's meal program.
Since launching in 2021, The GIANT Company and its customers have raised more than $7.5 million. The funds that recipient districts can direct toward covering outstanding student meal debt, expanding food distribution programs, launching on-campus food pantries, and providing extra meals over weekends.
ACPS Superintendent Dr. Michael J. Martirano reflected on what the partnership means for the community.
"I'm thrilled with the partnership with Martin's. The way that contributions go back to our school system to support the kids who need it most — this truly reflects your values as a store and as an organization. My heart is full of gratitude."
Donations equip ACPS to serve students
ACPS will use The GIANT Company’s Feeding School Kids program to expand its food distribution to students. According to Todd Lutton, the school system’s Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services, prior Feeding Schools Kids donations were used to help offset student meal debt.
ACPS is in its second year of providing free nutritious breakfasts and lunches to all students through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Community Eligibility Provision, explained Lutton. CEP is a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts in low-income areas. The school system serves more than 1 million free breakfasts and lunches each year.
"Most recently, we’ve been able to use the Feeding School Kids program funds for kitchen equipment upgrades throughout our schools," said Todd Lutton, Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services.
Finding new ways to help families
The GIANT Company asked to see an example of how schools are addressing student hunger. Ashley Drake, community school coordinator at Braddock Middle School, shared her school’s tactics with Nines during his visit to Braddock. Working with her School Principal Dr. Eric Van Slyke, Drake reimagined how her school reaches food-insecure families. Now, in addition to offering weekend snack bags for students in need, Braddock offers a more comprehensive service for families: monthly meal boxes.
"We decided it would be better to do a food box drive-thru where families receive three full meals plus additional items like fresh produce, fresh meats, recipes and a list of local food pantries for anyone who needs further assistance," said Drake, who buys all of her food for the boxes from Martin’s grocery stores.
Braddock Middle School students are part of the “delivery” process on drive-thru days. Using gym scooters, Braddock students help “deliver” meal boxes to a designated staging area so Drake can hand-deliver boxes to families.
“We’re all doing what we can to keep our students well fed,” explained Lutton.
Media Contact: Kris Kehrwald, Public Information Officer, 301-759-2031
Martin’s Foods Store Employment Associate Jeffrey Nines, Braddock Middle School Principal Dr. Eric Van Slyke, ACPS Superintendent Michael Martirano, Food and Nutrition Supervisor Todd Lutton and Braddock Middle School Community Schools Coordinator Ashley Drake.