Costco, Schnucks Team With Produce Supplier to Give Back During Holidays

11/24/2020

Costco, Schnucks Team With Produce Supplier to Give Back During Holidays Season of Giving G&R Farms Sweet Onions

Sweet onion supplier G&R Farms has teamed with Costco and Schnucks on the Season of Giving campaign, which the produce company intends to be an annual event.

As a way to help those in need during holidays, sweet onion supplier G&R Farms has joined forces with Costco and Schnuck Supermarkets on a new annual promotion, Season of Giving. The produce company has pledged to give a predetermined dollar amount based on the number of boxes shipped to the retailers for the duration of the promotion, and each retailer was permitted to select its own local charity.

“We have been blessed with an increased demand of our sweet onions this year while so many Americans have suffered personal and financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noted Walt Dasher, VP of Glennville, Georgia-based G&R, which grows, packs and ships a year-round supply of sweet onions from Georgia and Peru. “Therefore, we felt compelled to offer support and give back to the communities we serve.”

The promotion launched Nov. 16 with Issaquah, Washington-based Costco’s Texas division, where it will run through Dec. 31. The funds raised will benefit local United Way subsidiaries in Costco’s markets. A sticker will highlight the promotion on all sweet onion bags and G&R Farms will conduct PR and social media activities.

For St. Louis-based Schnucks, the Season of Giving campaign will run Dec. 1-Dec. 31 and benefit hometown charitable organization Operation Food Search (OFS), which provides immediate food assistance to those in need. The promotion will include a new secondary merchandising display, a tear-off pad and stickers on all sweet onion bags, as well as PR and social media activities.

“When we started working with the United Way and Operation Food Search, we realized what a huge difference they are making for so many people in need especially, during these very difficult times,” added Dasher. “That’s when we decided to make this an annual event. Our goal is to increase the size and scope of the Season of Giving promotion each year.”

No. 5 on The PG 100 Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, Costco operates 800 warehouses worldwide, including more than 540 in the United States and Puerto Rico, and also has e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea and Taiwan. With 112 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, and more than 14,000 associates, Schnucks is No. 67 on PG’s list.