Hannaford Launches ‘Eat Well, Be Well’ Initiative With Donations

Grocer aims to boost access to nutritious food for underserved people with chronic illnesses

9/14/2022

Hannaford is donating more than $1.5 million to five nonprofits as part of its “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative.

As part of its new “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative, which spotlights the importance of nutritious food in helping food-insecure people with chronic illnesses get healthier, Hannaford Supermarkets and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation have revealed more than $1.5 million in donations to support the prioritization of fresh, nutritious food for underserved individuals and families in the grocer’s market area of New England and New York.

Five nonprofit organizations will receive funding to host programs that boost access to healthy, fresh food tailored to the particular needs of an individual’s health conditions. Program participants will also receive nutrition education to help them reach and maintain their health-and-wellness goals.

“At Hannaford, we have long believed that healthy, fresh food is a critical ingredient to ensuring the vitality of our communities,” said Hannaford Charitable Foundation Board Chair Peter Forester, who’s also SVP of merchandising for the company. “Healthy meal programs break down the barriers that many individuals face in regularly accessing the wholesome, nutritious meals that their bodies and minds need. We look forward to seeing these programs grow and become an integral part of person-centered care in the years to come.”

The concept commonly referred to as “Food As Medicine” focuses on the prioritization of a fresh, nutrient-rich diet as a key component of a comprehensive treatment plan for chronic health conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Data collected through the Hannaford-funded projects will be used to help create sustainable funding streams for healthy meal programs within each partner organization.

The donations will be distributed as follows:

$350,000 to MaineHealth
$300,000 to The Food Pantries for the Capital District in New York
$300,000 to the New Hampshire Food Bank
$250,000 to Community Servings in Massachusetts
$100,000 to Age Well in Vermont

Hannaford has committed to issuing $300,000 in additional grant funding to other programs that support healthy meal programs for those with chronic health conditions as part of the initiative. Funding options are currently being evaluated, with more expected next year.

Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford operates 184 stores in five Northeast states, employing nearly 30,000 associates. Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.