Meijer Commits $1M to Fight Food Insecurity
As the effects of the COVID-19 economy continue to challenge families across the Midwest, Meijer is pledging $1 million to help feed those in need.
The retailer recently donated 6,000 frozen turkeys to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank's weekly food distribution event, where they were immediately loaded into the vehicles of the food bank's clients.
"While progress is being made against the pandemic, we understand the impact it's made remains a challenge for many people," Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. "Meijer cares about our communities, and we wanted to do our part to help those in need. We appreciate the partnership with the Cleveland Browns to help ensure the Greater Cleveland Food Bank has what it needs to serve the community."
In total, the retailer is donating 50,000 frozen Meijer and Honeysuckle turkeys to several of its food bank partners that include:
- Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana in Fort Wayne
- Dare to Care in Louisville
- Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee
- Food Bank of Northern Indiana in South Bend
- Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park, Michigan
- Gleaners Detroit
- Gleaners Indianapolis
- Greater Cleveland Food Bank
- Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee
- Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva
Due to the pandemic, addressing food insecurity has emerged as a major social responsibility priority for many retailers and consumer goods companies, including Meijer, Grocery Outlet, Walmart and others. The new Meijer turkey donation is in addition to the turkeys Meijer donated during the holiday season, and the more than $7.6 million it donated in 2020 to help feed hungry families across the Midwest through its Simply Give program.
"The events of this year have taught us all the importance of community members supporting each other," said Cathy Cooper, senior director of community partnerships and giving at Meijer. "We appreciate the need our food bank partners are facing every day and wanted to do our part to help them feed the hungry in their communities."
Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meijer operates more than 256 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 19 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
