Last updated on August 29th, 2022 at 02:30 pm
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. raised $1.8 million for local hunger relief organizations throughout the Northeast by the end of 2012 through its 23rd annual Food for Friends program, according to a news release. Stop & Shop customers, associates and partners supported the program and 100 percent of the funds raised will go directly to community food pantries and regional food banks.
The chain-wide effort kicked off last summer with the Healthy Ideas Food for Friends program, and continued in November with several different elements:
• Customers could contribute through in-store donations of $1, $3 or $5 at checkout registers.
• Charity boxes filled with Stop & Shop Own Brands items were sold chain-wide and donated directly to a local food pantry adopted by a store, with any additional proceeds going back into the program. Stop & Shop customers donated more than 75,000 boxes.
• Kraft and Unilever contributed several hundred thousand coupon booklets worth $10 to reward customers who donated.
• Stop & Shop contributed a company match of $500 per store.
“As a supermarket, fighting food insecurity is one of our core charitable focuses and the Food for Friends program is an easy way to raise the issue more broadly with our customers and really work as partners to give back,” saiys Joe Kelley, president of Stop & Shop’s New England division. “We are so proud of our customers and so grateful for their help in our mission to help fight hunger in our communities.”
Of the $1.8 million raised, 60 percent is donated to the local hunger relief agency or food pantry each store adopts and 40 percent is donated to 14 regional food banks, including in:
• Massachusetts, where $749,595 was collected and donations were made to The Greater Boston Food Bank ($218,881.74); Worcester County Food Bank ($35,980.56); and the Food Bank of Western Mass. ($44,975.70).
• Connecticut, where $469,146 was collected and donations were made to the Connecticut Food Bank ($104,393) and Foodshare ($91,043.52).
• New York, where $182,405 was collected and donations were made to the Food Bank for New York City ($25,769); Long Island Cares ($51,991); Island Harvest ($32,170); Food Bank of Hudson Valley ($18,560); and the Food Bank of Westchester County ($16,294).
• Rhode Island, where $168,043 was collected and a donation made to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank ($67,217.20).
• New Jersey, where $149,453 was collected and donations went to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey ($62,127); and the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties ($18,737).
• New Hampshire, $28,058 was collected and a donation made to the New Hampshire Food Bank ($11,223.20).
The top stores that raised significant amounts of donations this year include those located at 91 Point Judith Rd., Narragansett, R.I., which raised $12,076; 498 Bushy Hill Rd., Simsbury, Conn., which raised $11,942; and 505 N. Main St., Southington, Conn., which raised $11,098.
In addition to the Food for Friends program, Stop & Shop supported hunger relief organizations by donating more than 20,000 turkeys through its Turkey Express program last fall and hunger relief efforts through the Stop & Shop/Giant Family Foundation.
”Stop & Shop has a long tradition of supporting the communities in which we serve and fighting hunger in those communities is one of our top priorities,” says Don Sussman, president of Stop & Shop’s New York Metro Division. “Hurricane Sandy hit the New York metro area when we launched our Food for Friends program and more than ever before our customers and associates continued to help make a difference to families struggling to put food on their table during such a devastating time.”
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. employs approximately 62,000 associates and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey. For more information, visit www.stopandshop.com.
