Get Ready for 2nd Annual Supermarket Employee Day
Supermarket workers have always been front-line heroes during periods of crisis. This was most evident last year, when grocery employees served their communities during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues today as the health crisis persists. To show its gratitude, FMI — the Food Industry Association has once again proclaimed Feb. 22 Supermarket Employee Day. A year after its launch, which included participation from nearly every level of FMI’s membership — retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and state association partners — the 2022 holiday will continue to celebrate employees at every level for the work they do to feed families and enrich lives.
“Grocery stores are a critical part of the fabric of our communities. They are the essential pipeline in providing the food and consumer goods necessary to sustain the health and well-being of their friends, neighbors and customers,” said Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based FMI. “As the global pandemic persists, supermarket employees remain committed to providing the services, resources and support families need to stay nourished, safe and healthy.”
Supermarkets are the backbone of communities. Beyond helping keep pantries stocked and refrigerators full, according to FMI, 83% of supermarket employees actively lift up their hometowns, engaging in community support and building local ties through educational, philanthropic, public-health and advocacy efforts. For example, food retailers provided more than 1.5 billion meals to Americans in need through the Feeding America network — the largest private donation stream to the organization in 2020.
FMI has continually celebrated food retailers for their community service through its Community Uplift Awards. The organization recently revealed this year's winners, honoring their unique and impactful youth development, food insecurity and neighborhood health improvement programs. (For more philanthropic efforts made by food retail, check out Progressive Grocer’s first annual Impact Award winners.)
To help commemorate the upcoming Supermarket Employee Day, FMI has created a full suite of turnkey tools and resources to accommodate its members’ individual brands and budgets.
Last time, the food industry celebrated the holiday through state and local proclamations, programs that invite customers to nominate supermarket heroes, reward sweepstakes, video tributes, headquarters celebrations, appreciation campaigns throughout the supply chain, social media campaigns, and in-store activities.
“With more than 40,000 stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone, there are millions of hardworking front-line heroes to celebrate,” Sarasin said. “FMI looks forward to honoring them once again on this exciting and necessary holiday and calls on all members of the food industry to join the celebration on Feb. 22, 2022, Supermarket Employee Day.”
As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain — from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services — to amplify the collective work of the industry.
