As the Pandemic Continues, AAA ‘Steps Up' to Address Hunger

As the Pandemic Continues, AAA Associates ‘Step Up to Address Hunger’

Auto Club Helping to Counter Food Insecurity Projected to Impact 42 Million Americans, Including 13 Million Children in 2021, Due to COVID-19

PHILADELPHIA, PA (August 18, 2021) For the second consecutive year, AAA Club Alliance, which locally includes AAA Mid-Atlantic, is ‘stepping up’ in August to help with hunger relief that continues at alarming rates because of the pandemic.

Food insecurity rates, especially among children, have been projected to rise to unprecedented levels during 2020-2021 compared to 2019 because of the pandemic, according to The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity study released by the national hunger relief non-profit organization, Feeding America.

Recognizing this crisis, AAA Club Alliance associates has laced up their sneakers for the Stepping Up For Hunger challenge August 9-22, which focuses on wellness while providing hunger relief for their neediest neighbors.

For the second straight year, employees from AAA Mid-Atlantic have joined their colleagues throughout AAA Club Alliance’s 13-state region, which includes Pennsylvania, plus the District of Columbia, in tracking their steps for a company-wide effort to raise awareness for Feeding America and their member food banks that are located in the auto club’s service area.

The Stepping Up For Hunger challenge is to walk, run, jog, or engage in any manner of movement to reach this year’s goal of 42 million steps, a step for each hungry American. This year’s ambitious goal is nearly double last year’s result of 22 million steps, which was accomplished in only one week’s time.

Upon achievement of the step goal, AAA will make a donation of approximately 200,000 meals to Feeding America’s 13 local food banks in the auto club’s service area, including Philabundance.

As of Monday morning, August 16, halfway into the step challenge, AAA associates have collectively logged a total of 18.2million steps, reflecting 43 percent of the 42 million goal.

“AAA and our employees recognize how the pandemic continues to greatly impact food insecurity, especially for children,” said Amber Zionkowski, Corporate Citizenship Manager for AAA Club Alliance, the third largest AAA club in the nation. “The auto club is proud to once again do its part in the campaign against hunger in the communities we serve.”

Food insecurity has been especially hard on children during the pandemic because of school closures that deprived children of needed free or low-cost meals. For 2021, 1 in 6 children, representing 17.9 percent or 13 million of U.S. children, suffer from hunger, reflecting a 21.5 percent growth compared to 10.7 million children in 2019. With schools re-opening for in-person learning, children heading back to school will find some relief, as they will have access to one to two meals on a daily basis, although weekends typically pose a challenge when home from school.

For 2021, 12 percent or more than 1.5 million of all Pennsylvania residents, are projected to have a lack of access to sufficient food due to limited financial resources, ranking the state 31st in the nation.

This year AAA Club Alliance will be joined by AAA Northeast, as the clubs unite to generate greater awareness of the issue of food insecurity among their employees, members and the public. AAA Northeast employees across their six-state region will engage in their own Stepping Up For Hunger challenge to secure meal donations for the local food banks in their communities. AAA Northeast’s service area covers northern New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

“AAA Club Alliance’s campaign inspires and provides best practices for AAA Clubs and other organizations to take part in similar campaigns to support Feeding America and to help provide meals to people facing hunger,” said Teresa Gruber, Director, Employee Engagement at Feeding America.

The Stepping Up For Hunger challenge is part of a broader corporate citizenship initiative for hunger relief, which includes employee volunteerism. As part of ‘AAA Day of Citizenship’, associates will be volunteering at local food banks throughout the two-week campaign in a variety of activities such as, packing food in backpacks to pass out to children on the first Friday of the new school year to sustain them through the weekend, and sorting food for seniors and COVID-relief packages.

AAA Members and the general public who desire to help support the campaign may do so at any retail store in AAA Club Alliance’s 13-state and Washington, D.C. region. For store locations, visit AAA.com/Locations.