Publix of Troy donated a check of $1,430 to Tory University’s Office of Civic Engagement Tuesday morning to help increase food security in Troy and Pike County.

“It’s important for us to be in the community and for folks to know this money stays in the community,” said Chad Arthur, store manager. “This will go toward making a difference in the community.”

Lauren Cochran, coordinator of the Office of Civic Engagement, said the money will go toward funding the supplies and materials necessary to deliver food for Campus Kitchens, a signature program of the office.

“It’s a student-run organization where our students collect food from our dining hall and reapportion that to meals for people in need in our county,” Cochran said. “Our students donate time on a daily basis to meet these needs and this money will go to support their efforts. We’re extremely grateful for this donation to help us increase food security and decrease food waste. We really hope that this will help meet the needs of families in our community and encourage college students to be involved in the community.”

Arthur said the funds raised for the donation come from the generosity of Publix customers.

“Our sales associates ask them if they want to donate, so the customers are really involved in making this possible,” Arthur said. “We did this last year and we were able to up that by about $700 this year, so that was really exciting.”

Troy University’s Office of Civic Engagement involves students in projects such as Campus Kitchens and Backpacks for Kids. These programs serve a vital purpose given estimates that more than 20 percent of Pike County residents are food insecure.