FMI – The Food Industry Association has announced recipients of the 2023 Community Uplift Awards.
Out of 18 nominations, three community uplift programs were selected by a panel of judges as recipients for their standout efforts in addressing food insecurity and neighborhood health needs and programs that influence social impact.
The 2023 Community Uplift Award recipients include The Giant Co., Hy-Vee Inc. and Brookshire Grocery Co. In addition, FMI recognizes three companies as honorable mentions in each category.
“It is second nature for supermarkets and product suppliers to be involved in their communities, supporting neighborhood efforts and providing leadership, comfort and stability during local emergencies,” said FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin.
“It is so much just a part of what they regularly do that it’s easy to overlook all the good grocers and food suppliers perform beyond providing our daily bread.”
Award recipients:
- Social Impact Program Recipient: The Giant Co., Healing the Planet by Reducing Food Waste
- The Giant Co. awarded $300,000 to projects that address food waste prevention, reduction and recovery across its operating areas. For Stop Food Waste Day on April 26, The Giant Co. partnered with Flashfood to connect consumers to heavily discounted fresh and shelf-stable food with limited shelf life nearing its best-by date, diverting six million pounds of food from landfills.
- Social Impact Program Honorable Mention: Giant Food, Divert Food Waste Program
- Food Insecurity Program Recipient: Hy-Vee Takes Food Insecurity Fight to Next Level with 100 Million Meals Challenge
- Going beyond its operating area, Hy-Vee addressed food insecurity across America by providing 30 million meals to vulnerable communities and 27 million meals to Feeding America member food banks.
- Food Insecurity Program Honorable Mention: The Giant Co., Emergency Food Box Packing Challenge for Veterans
- Neighborhood Health Improvement Program Recipient: Brookshire Grocery Co., Supplies for Schools
- Seventeen grocery stores across Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma partnered with communities to provide school supplies for underserved students through three options – purchasing $15 pre-packaged bags of supplies, making donations at the register or purchasing Supplies for Schools bouquets.
- Neighborhood Health Improvement Program Honorable Mention: Cub & We Push for Peace Bike Giveaway & Community Event
“FMI proudly offers the Community Uplift Awards as a means of recognizing just a few of the outstanding efforts the food industry has made this past year to provide cohesion, encouragement and spirit within their local community,” Sarasin said. “We commend all grocers and food suppliers for being the community builders they are and we congratulate those being recognized for leading the field in these efforts.”
Background on the awards
Working with FMI’s strategic partner, The Shelby Report, a panel of judges scored each program based on participation, ability to address community need, breadth and depth of the program and creativity. The panel of judges included SVP of Marketing at Category Partners Eric LeBlanc, VP of North & Mid Atlantic at The Shelby Report Maggie Kaeppel, President and Publisher at The Shelby Report Stephanie Reid, and ROFDA President and CEO Jeff Pederson.
The three program recipients will each receive $1,000 to help expand their community uplift program, along with a commemorative plaque, and they will be recognized on FMI.org and in The Shelby Report for their outstanding efforts. Honorable mention recipients will also be recognized on FMI.org and in The Shelby Report.
Learn more about the 2023 Community Uplift Award recipients and the nominees at FMI.org/CommunityUplift.
