Kroger Partners With USO to Serve Military Members
In a display of support for U.S. service members and their families, The Kroger Co. is working with the USO to roll out mobile food programming to local military communities. The new initiative was launched May 16 and included Stuff the Truck events, as well as a meal for the families of deployed military members.
As part of the effort, Kroger and the USO will introduce three mobile kitchen units over the next two years to bring meals and a taste of home to service members at military installations, USO centers and even during community disaster relief efforts. The trucks will collect donations from Kroger shoppers and deliver the food to military members and their families.
"The USO is proud to uplift the U.S. military community with the help of our partner Kroger," said Brian Cowart, chief development and marketing officer at Washington D.C.-based USO. "This initiative offers the American people the opportunity to give back to those who have sacrificed for our country and to connect with service members through the joy of food."
Kroger and its banners, as well as its customers, have been the largest contributors to the USO in the organization’s history, donating $35.3 million since 2010.
"The USO and Kroger have long worked together to support our military service men and women and their families," said Denise Osterhues, Kroger's senior director of sustainability and social impact. "We're introducing three new mobile kitchen units in the next two years to take our partnership to the next level. Together, we'll bring warm meals and taste of home to service members wherever they are — at military installations, providing food at USO centers, or disaster relief services in our communities. This new Kroger-USO mobile kitchen fleet will be at the center of our shared mission to nourish our neighbors."
Serving 60 million households annually nationwide through a digital shopping experience, and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
