During a special photo shoot with their two sons, a Maine couple recently celebrated five years of marriage and a 40-year family connection to Hannaford Supermarkets.
While Sara and Todd Ellis of Orono, Maine, first crossed as teenagers at Hannaford’s Airport Mall store in Bangor, Sara’s connection to the grocer began in 1982 when her parents met while working at the Broadway store, also in Bangor.
Brenda and Scott Stout married in 1985 and had Sara and her brother, Ben. Both children continued the family legacy when they got jobs at Hannaford. The parents remain employees at the Airport Mall store. In fact, the family has more than 100 years of combined service with the company.
“Although there have been many changes over the years, I could never have imagined the impact Hannaford would have on our lives,” said Brenda Stout.
“With both of our children having worked there as well, literally everything we have – our family, home and my personal favorite, my grandbabies, are all thanks in part to Hannaford. I will always be grateful for that.”
Sara and Todd Ellis first met when she was working at the front end of the store and he was in the produce department. When the opportunity arose for a family photo shoot, they decided the Hannaford store in Old Town, Maine, would be the perfect backdrop.
“Being a ‘Hannaford baby’ is kind of a special thing,” Sara Ellis said.
“It’s a very large – yet very small – community. I’ve had people watch me grow up, become my co-workers and now when I go to a store, they get to see my little ‘Hannaford babies’ grow up.”
Sean Brooks, store manager of the Old Town location, said the staff was “moved by the family’s connection to Hannaford and were so excited to make this special memory happen for them.”
“The family’s long-standing connection to Hannaford reflects the strong sense of community we aim to create in our stores. We thank the entire family for being such excellent associates, both in years past and today.”
The couple said they look forward to the day when their children, 2-year-old Wyatt and 16-month-old Andre, will join the grocer’s family.
Hannaford operates 186 stores in the Northeast, most with full-service pharmacies. The Scarborough, Maine-based company employs nearly 30,000 people with stores in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Hannaford is a leader in sustainability with a strong commitment to reducing waste and protecting the environment. Hannaford diverts or donates all food at risk of going to waste, sending no food to landfills.
In 2022, Hannaford donated 25 million pounds of food to hunger relief organizations and prevented 65 million pounds of food waste from reaching landfills. Hannaford has nearly 30,000 employees and is based in Scarborough, Maine.
