ASHEVILLE, NC – Mast General Store’s Be a Sweetheart event, which provides needed funds for local food banks, is scheduled for February 14 and 15 this year.  

For 23 years, Mast Store has matched each pound of bulk candy purchased on Sweetheart weekend with a $1 donation to its local food security partner. While $1 may not sound like it will make a difference, rest assured that MANNA FoodBank can stretch that single dollar into up to four meals for one of its clients. That is a gift of love on two accounts! 

“With candy being one of the most gifted items on Valentine’s Day, we saw an opportunity to raise awareness of the need to support our food security partners and tie it to gifts to loved ones,” said Lisa Cooper, president of Mast General Store.   

According to the Food Research and Action Center, almost 48 million Americans experienced food insecurity in 2024, including 14.1 million children. Families living in the Southern region of the country have a higher rate of food insecurity than other regions, with 15% of households experiencing hunger in 2023.  

“MANNA FoodBank and all of our food security partners are seeing an increased need for their services,” said Cooper. “We are thankful they are able to stretch their funds through donations and volunteers to do more than we can do ourselves.”  

In conjunction with Be a Sweetheart weekend, Mast Store will also offer guests the opportunity to roundUP any purchase to the next dollar to support MANNA FoodBank from February 9 – February 15. 

As an organization and with the spare change of our guests, Mast Store has made contributions totaling over $53,000 to its food security partners from Be a Sweetheart weekend over the last five years.  

Join the Mast Store and MANNA FoodBank in fighting hunger at home and building stronger, healthier communities this upcoming Be a Sweetheart weekend at the store on Biltmore Avenue in Downtown Asheville.