Mary Ann Swanson of the First English Lutheran Church and Butler Twp. Commissioner Sam Zurzolo accept a check on behalf of the church from Walmart, Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

To help meet critical needs resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, Walmart offered a big hand Tuesday in the form of a big check — $20,000 payable to the First English Lutheran Church of Butler.

The money will be used to provide free meals to Butler County's needy, whose ranks have swelled due to the effects of COVID-19.

“What we wanted to do today was to surprise the church and basically say, 'Thank you for what you do,'” said Angela Fleeger, market manager of Walmart's North Pittsburgh area.

The donation, she added, would help the church “continue to do the great work” it does.

“Walmart does a lot to support the communities throughout the year,” she said. “Knowing that there was some difficulty out there, we wanted to give back in a bigger way for Butler County.”

At a morning gathering outside First English Lutheran Church, 241 N. Main St., Fleeger passed the ceremonial check on to Mary Ann Swanson, a church official.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.