EXCLUSIVE: What Drives Albertsons' Foundation and Its Leader?
At the recent SXSW Conference event in Austin, Texas, the president and executive director of the Albertsons Companies Foundation, Christy Duncan Anderson, shared the retailer’s updated goals for donated meals and its investments in food security. The reaction, she recalls, affirmed the importance of the grocer’s Recipe for Change framework.
“It was so fun, because we had given participants lunchboxes, and we did a drum roll on them. When I announced the new goals, we had people standing up out of their seats, on their feet cheering. It was really cool to see people excited,” she recalled during a recent interview with Progressive Grocer.
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During the conversation, Duncan Anderson provided additional insights about the Foundation’s $10 million investment in hunger relief and its pledge to enable 1.5 billion meals by 2030 through surplus food donations from stores and funds raised by Albertsons Cos.’ Nourishing Neighbors program.
Progressive Grocer: How ambitious are these new goals for Albertsons Cos. within the Foundation and the Recipe for Change and Nourishing Neighbors initiatives?
Christy Duncan Anderson: It’s a continuation. We are so proud of everything we’ve been able to do over the past 10 years — the program has enabled a billion meals. These are big goals, and this is a culmination of our ambition moving forward to ensure that all of our neighbors have the food they need. It’s going to take a lot of people, and we are grateful to our amazing CPG partners, our customers and nonprofit organizations.
PG: Why is this a crucial time in collective efforts to increase food security?
CDA: We are seeing a number of people turn to emergency food distribution networks. More than 44 million people in America face the challenge of food insecurity. We ask ourselves, "How do we connect people to resources?” I think the timing for this is right as we build on some of the great work we’ve done thus far.
PG: It’s really what the industry is about – sustenance.
CDA: We are your local supermarket. It’s a part of who we are. Our purpose is to bring people together around the joys of food and to inspire well-being. We are dedicated to ensuring this is true for all of our customers.
PG: How are your customers part of this effort, too?
CDA: I am always humbled to see the dollar-for-dollar amounts raised. We try to make it easy for people to donate at the register, and we see our stores as the hub of the wheel.
PG: How is this job rewarding for you on a personal and professional level?
CDA: This kind of thing is my favorite part about the job. When I go out and meet people, the folks who are working on a program will say, "We weren’t sure how we could continue to do this but with your funding and support, we can feed more people." The real heroes are the volunteers working day in and day out, and when we get to know them, we see the passion they have and the impact they have on our neighbors. I wake up every day excited to come to work and to continue working toward these goals.
PG: In a broader way, how do these goals reflect the culture at Albertsons Cos., including the organization under soon-to-be CEO Susan Morris, who was one of Progressive Grocer’s Trailblazer winners?
CDA: Our senior leadership team were the ones pushing us to make the goals bigger and bolder, saying, "Let’s see how many neighbors we can help.” It’s top-down and it’s ground-up, too. We pride ourselves in raising funds and distributing them locally. The local teams decide where funds should go, and they have a great passion for the work they are doing. A lot of our associates work with many of these nonprofit organizations, too.
And yes, Susan is phenomenal. She was our board chair for many years, and I got to work with her. I can say that she’s the real deal and walks that walk.
