FMI Unveils Community Outreach Winners
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has revealed its 2016 Community Outreach Awards winners. Out of 14 nominated programs, four were chosen for recognition.
“Food retailers do much more than simply provide their customers with food items to purchase; they also feed the spirit of their community in acts of human kindness,” noted David Fikes, VP, consumer/community affairs and communication for Arlington, Va.-based FMI, in a blog post about the winners. “The Community Outreach Awards highlight the oft-unmentioned goodwill of grocers that serve and shape our communities.”
The winners were as follows:
Youth Development Program: Northgate Gonzalez Market’s Cooking Up Change enables students from low-income schools to redesign their school lunch menu, develop culinary skills, improve self-esteem and learn more about nutrition. Lunches created through the program have been integrated into some public schools’ offerings and are now served regularly.
Food Insecurity Program: Under Double Up Food Bucks, a public-private partnership administered by Fair Food Network with support provided by federal, state and private sources, for each dollar of fresh Michigan produce purchased by SNAP customers at SpartanNash company Family Fare, they earn an equivalent amount of points that are placed on their yes Card. This year, the number of participating stores has more than tripled.
Neighborhood Health Improvement Program: This past September, Food Lion Feeds’ Great Pantry Makeover program gave makeovers to 38 food pantries in its 10-state store base in 30 days, galvanizing its community to provide a total of 1.7 million meals and more than 1,400 volunteer hours to renovate facilities, donate equipment and stock pantries.
“People’s Pick” Social Media Category: With a record-breaking 3,000 votes cast in this award category, Hy-Vee Inc. wound up the winner for its Hy-Vee KidsFit program, which includes an interactive health-and-wellness website for children, teens and families that offers access to a free, online personal trainer. The program, which reaches an average 1,000 to 2,000 kids per week, has also been brought more than 50 schools, reaching nearly 21,000 students last school year.