Hy-Vee Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Family Meals, Hispanic Heritage

Celebrations include cooking classes, product spotlights

9/7/2022

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Hy-Vee's events throughout September will focus on helping families eat more meals together.

Hy-Vee Inc. is undertaking several initiatives to help FMI - The Food Industry Association spread the word about National Family Meals Month, taking place now through Sept. 30. Special events include live cooking demonstrations and virtual classes and programs.

The grocer will also offer a free cookbook developed by Hy-Vee dietitians, full of dietitian-approved and kid-friendly meal options. For the month of September, children can also eat free with each purchase of an adult entrée at all Hy-Vee foodservice departments and Hy-Vee Market Grille locations, as well as at all Wahlburgers at Hy-Vee and Hy-Vee-owned Wahlburgers locations.

Daily recipes, weekly meal ideas, and grab-and-go dinner options will be available on Hy-Vee’s social media platforms, and Hy-Vee’s KidsFit social media platforms will share videos and resources to encourage kids and parents to stay active and make healthy choices.

“The stress of the past two years has been significant and pervasive,” said Dr. Daniel Fick, SVP and chief medical officer at Hy-Vee. “It comes as no surprise that mental health stress has increased as much as physical stress. Having a healthy lifestyle is important to one’s mental health, and that includes having strong family connections.”

The industry-inspired National Family Meals Month movement, now in its eighth year, aims to raise consumer awareness of the benefits of sharing frequent family meals. This year, the Arlington, Va.-based FMI Foundation is partnering with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to help amplify the positive impact that family meals have on mental health, physical health and emotional well-being, according to FMI Foundation Executive Director David Fikes.

Additionally, Hy-Vee will kick off its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15. The grocer will provide tools and resources to help families enjoy at least one more meal together each week while also recognizing family meal traditions that stem from various heritages. Stores will feature select Hispanic products from multicultural suppliers, as well as a cooking guide featuring Hispanic- and Latino-inspired recipes.

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and has a team of more than 93,000 employees. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 30 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.