In an effort to reduce hunger among students in the communities it serves, the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program has expanded to support food pantries in more than 50 schools across the Northeast.
Launched in 2019, the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program addresses food insecurity within local communities by providing thousands of students and their families with extra food assistance to ensure that kids don’t have to go to school hungry. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, one in every six kids may not know where they will get their next meal.
“The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program was established to help limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom. Making sure that they have consistent access to food is a part of that,” said Jennifer Brogan, director of community relations for Stop & Shop. “We’re incredibly proud of the growth of the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program as we work together with schools, colleges and universities to help students perform their best.”
Quincy, Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop supports local schools’ existing food pantries or helps them establish a new one. Ranging from pre-k through college, Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program partners receive gift cards and food items to stock their shelves. Examples of partners include:
- Fall River Public Schools, Fall River, Massachusetts;
- Washington STEM Elementary School, Lynn, Massachusetts;
- Rafael Hernández Dual Language School, Roxbury, Massachusetts;
- Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, Massachusetts;
- Massasoit Community College, Brockton, Massachusetts;
- Springfield Technical Community School, Springfield, Massachusetts;
- Community College of Rhode Island, Lincoln, Rhode Island;
- Meriden K-12, Meriden, Connecticut;
- Slade Middle School, New Britain, Connecticut;
- Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut;
- University of New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut;
- G.W. Miller Elementary School, Nanuet, New York;
- PS105 The Bay School, Far Rockaway, New York;
- Business Technology Early College High School, Queens, New York: opening this fall;
- New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York: opening this fall; and
- PS 78 Stapleton Lighthouse Community School, Staten Island, New York: opening this fall.
In addition, Stop & Shop’s supplier partner Unilever stepped up to provide personal care items in high demand for the back-to-school season. In August, Unilever ran a promotion across all Stop & Shop stores. For every customer who spent $5 on any one Degree Deodorant Stick or 15 oz. Suave Body Wash, Unilever donated one to the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program, with a cap of 6,000 items. General Mills is also donating 10,000 boxes of Cheerios to distribute to Stop & Shop School Food Pantry partners this fall.
The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program is featured in Stop & Shop’s latest TV spot “Supplies.” For more information or to apply for the program, visit stopandshop.com.
