Shaw’s Named Boston’s Food Donor of the Year

Shaw’s Supermarkets has been named by the Greater Boston Food Bank as its 2010 Food Donor of the Year. The grocer also has donated $150,000 to area food banks in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont in conjunction with the company’s 150th anniversary celebration.

“The mission of the Greater Boston Food Bank is very important to our company and associates,” said Shaw’s President Larry Wahlstrom. “We are always collectively looking for ways to help the food bank – whether through our food rescue program, volunteer efforts or other programs – and we highly value our ability to support them and other area food banks in the fight against hunger. We are honored to be recognized by the Greater Boston Food Bank as their Food Donor of the Year.”

Catherine D’Amato, the food bank’s president and CEO, said: “Shaw’s Supermarkets is a wonderful and generous partner in the fight to end hunger. We need many people to assist us in feeding people in need, and Shaw’s has shown through its actions that it is dedicated to hunger relief.”

To be a Food Donor of the Year, a company must be a top 10 donor three times in the previous five years. Over the past four years, Shaw’s has donated more than 7.4 million pounds of food. Shaw’s also championed the food bank’s retail donation program by ensuring that all stores recognize the program as a corporate initiative. The donations from Shaw’s have provided more than 564,000 pounds of meat to the food bank’s member agencies.

A division of Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc., Shaw’s is one of the oldest continuously operated supermarkets in the United States, with roots dating to 1860. Shaw’s has 175 stores throughout five New England states.

With estimated annual sales of $38 billion, Supervalu operates 4,270 stores nationwide.