Stop & Shop Raises $2M+ to Combat Hunger
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co.’s 31st annual Food for Friends campaign has raised more than $2 million for its 12 regional food bank partners to combat summer hunger in the communities it serves, breaking all previous years’ donation records.
Stop & Shop points out that summer can be the hungriest time of year for kids. While during the school year, families rely on free or reduced-priced meals at school, families have to buy more food when school is out, and children are at home — creating additional financial strain. An annual summer donation program, Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends campaign allows customers at the grocer’s more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey to donate at checkout to support food-insecure families across the Northeast.
“We’re humbled by the incredible generosity of our customers who came out to support our Food for Friends program in its 31st year,” said Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop. “The outcome of the month-long campaign not only shows the value of communities coming together, but our steadfast commitment to helping our food bank partners provide nutritious food to families in need.”
Throughout the month of May, customers who shopped in stores and online were asked if they would like to round up their total to the nearest dollar or donate an additional $1, $3 or $5. Stop & Shop donated 100% of the change to regional food banks across its store footprint.
In addition to the in-store and online components of the campaign, Stop & Shop also teamed up with Unilever’s Knorr food brand to collect nonperishable food donations in-store for local hunger-relief organizations.
“Unilever’s Knorr brand believes that wholesome, nutritious food should be accessible and affordable to all,” said Christina DiPietro, team lead at Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Unilever. “We are proud to be Stop & Shop’s first manufacturer partner for their annual Food for Friend’s campaign helping to raise over $2 million to benefit local food banks helping to fight food insecurity in our communities.”
Funds raised during Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends campaign will benefit the following food banks:
- The Greater Boston Food Bank
- Worcester County Food Bank
- The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
- Rhode Island Community Food Bank
- Connecticut Food Bank/Foodshare
- Feeding Westchester
- Food Bank of the Hudson Valley
- Food Bank for New York City
- Community Foodbank of New Jersey
- Fulfill
- Island Harvest
- Long Island Cares
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, consisting of Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, as well as e-grocer Peapod; Retail Business Services, a U.S. support services company providing services to the brands; and Peapod Digital Labs, its e-commerce engine. Operating more than 2,000 stores across 23 states, Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in the United States.
