IGA has donated $290,000 to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) as a result of the third annual IGA exclusive brand national marketing initiative that ran in participating IGA stores from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend of 2013.
During the promotional period last year, IGA donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of IGA Exclusive Brand water, hot dog and hamburger buns and ice cream featuring specially marked WWP packaging, resulting in more than $198,000 of the donation. IGA partnered with Kraft Foods Group through merchandising support on beverage mix displays featuring MiO, Crystal Light and Kool Aid Liquid Water Enhancers in IGA stores, raising an additional $50,000. New last year, IGA also partnered with Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, Hershey and Nabisco to utilize their s’mores’ display module, raising an additional $10,000 per company for a total of $30,000. Add to that $12,000 raised by IGA retailers’ own fundraising efforts and the IGA WWP Golf Tournament held over the summer, and that brings the grand total to $290,000, which is a $25,000 increase over the donation made in 2012, according to IGA—which has donated $675,000 to WWP over the last three years.
In 2013, IGA retailers promoted the WWP initiative in their stores in a number of ways, including creating innovative in-store displays, matching donations and hosting community events honoring injured service members.
“Once again, we were amazed at the outpouring of support our independent IGA retailers gave this Wounded Warrior Project event,” said Dave Bennett, IGA SVP of procurement and exclusive brands. “All across the country we saw IGA retailers participating by not only selling IGA exclusive brand water and other sponsor products, but also by getting their entire communities involved to back the important mission of Wounded Warrior Project. We’re extremely proud of our IGA retailers for embracing this initiative so enthusiastically for the third year in a row, and very pleased that by working with Kraft, Nabisco and Hershey we were able to donate much needed funds to help our nation’s wounded service members.”
Kraft Foods Group, a longtime IGA Red Oval Family member, is one of a number of key CPG companies that partners with IGA throughout the year to provide marketing resources and opportunities to IGA’s independent retailers.
Mike Ridenour, customer VP of Kraft Foods Group, said that his company was proud to be involved in a campaign that enabled IGA’s independent retailers and IGA shoppers to join together to support a worthy national cause.
According to WWP, more than 51,000 service members have been injured in the recent military conflicts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war, including combat-related stress, major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment.
Tens of thousands of injured veterans and caregivers receive support each year through WWP’s 19 diverse programs and services that are uniquely structured to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement.
