SpartanNash Presents 1st ‘Direct Your Dollars’ Donation

SpartanNash has awarded the first $1,000 donation through its receipt-based program, Direct Your Dollars, to the Oakwood Neighborhood Association. The Kalamazoo, Mich.-based organization offers a variety of programs for seniors, at-risk youth and families.

Launched in August 2016, Direct Your Dollars encourages customers to support local nonprofits by shopping at any one of SpartanNash’s 150-plus retail stores and fuel centers in nine states. Shoppers can then turn their receipts in to their preferred area charity, school or nonprofit.

Once a nonprofit has amassed $150,000 in receipts from eligible sales, it can redeem them for a $1,000 donation from SpartanNash, to be used for such critical items as computers, textbooks, field trips, athletic and band equipment, food and meal supplies.

To get its donation, the Oakwood Neighborhood Association used its neighborhood newsletter, Facebook page and website to publicize that it was collecting receipts for the program. The organization also collected SpartanNash receipts in a dropbox at its neighborhood center.

According to Oakwood Neighborhood Association Executive Director Cheryl Lord, the donation “will be used for supplies and snacks for our after-school youth tutoring program, and to update our community center, which is used for all of our programming, including our food bank. Direct Your Dollars is a great program, because it brings so many people together. Many people brought their receipts to our neighborhood center in person, and it was their first time learning about all the programs and activities we offer. We look forward to earning our next donation and building our programs as a result.”

A “Direct Your Dollars” section is featured on all SpartanNash receipts to make it easier for organizations to compute their program receipt totals. Some purchases are excluded from the program, including tobacco, postage, fuel, gift cards and lottery.

Participating groups must have a valid 501(c)(3) determination. Preschool and K-12 schools can participate, as well as school-sponsored groups and clubs, and faith-based and community service organizations.

“SpartanNash is committed to giving back to the communities where we live and work,” said Meredith Gremel, VP of corporate affairs and communications for Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash. “The Direct Your Dollars program is one of our many corporate responsibility initiatives, and it’s an easy way for our store guests to partner with us to earn money for their children’s band program, church youth group, VFW hall, and more. We are honored to present this donation to the Oakwood Neighborhood Association, and we cannot wait to see the difference it will make. This is the first of many Direct Your Dollars checks we will be donating to the communities where we live and work.”

SpartanNash’s core businesses encompass distributing grocery products to independent grocery retailers, national accounts, its corporate-owned retail stores and U.S. military commissaries. The company serves customer locations in 47 states and Washington, D.C., Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahrain and Egypt. SpartanNash operates 155 supermarkets, mainly under the Family Fare Supermarkets, Family Fresh Market, D&W Fresh Market and SunMart banners. Through its MDV military division, the company is the leading distributor of grocery products to military commissaries in the United States.