Brookshire Grocery Company and Kraft Foods will announce their support of a new program of the East Texas Food Bank.

The Store Donation Program sends trucks directly to area grocery stores to pick up meat, dairy products, bread and other perishables that are nearing their sell-by date. These types of foods are some of the hardest to get donated and have high nutritional value. It is estimated that Brookshire Grocery Company will donate over 1.2 million pounds of food through this program every year.

During the pilot phase, the Store Donation Program has rescued over 23,000 pounds of food from Brookshire Grocery Company that otherwise would have been discarded but instead was used to feed hungry people. Kraft Foods is investing $45,000 in the Store Donation Program.