Shaw’s/Star Market Help Hungry at the Holidays

Shaw's Supermarkets and Star Market are making monetary donations totaling more than $50,000 to 54 local food banks throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine at a time of year when hunger relief agencies are experiencing higher demand.

"We are in the food business, and one of our highest priorities is to make sure that we are doing our part to make sure that no one goes hungry," said Shaw's and Star Market President Jim Rice. "The staff and volunteers that run these food banks work extremely hard throughout the year to help our fellow neighbors, and we wanted to do a little something special to help them through this holiday season."

Among their other fundraising activities, Shaw's and Star Market run a program in November, Turkey Bucks, which enables customers to donate toward Thanksgiving meals for the needy. This past Thanksgiving, the banners donated holiday meals to 4,000 families.

Currently, the banners are holding their annual Spirit of Giving campaign, in which customers buy pre-filled bags of food for donation to local food banks. Last year’s effort raised $479,820, which became 346,761 meals for the region's hungry.

West Bridgewater, Mass.-based Shaw's and Star Market operate 155 stores employing about 19,500 associates in five New England states.