JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thanks to the generous support of their loyal customers and associates, Southeastern Grocers, LLC, the parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores, is giving $526,825.66 to benefit Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) in support of the Independence Program.
Through the two-week Wall of Honor community donation campaign, held Nov. 2-15, customers were encouraged to visit their neighborhood BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie to purchase a $1 Dedication Card and write a special message to their own military hero. These personal dedications built elaborate Wall of Honor displays at each store as visual tributes to those who served, continue to serve and sacrifice for the nation.
“Through the Wall of Honor campaign, our customers and associates continued to demonstrate the pride they feel for our military and their families who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Ian McLeod, chief executive officer and president of Southeastern Grocers. “We want to thank them for their support and sharing personal dedications to their military heroes,” continued McLeod. “We’re honored to provide these funds to Wounded Warrior Project’s Independence Program.”
“Our partnership with Southeastern Grocers demonstrates what can be achieved when like-minded charities and corporations join forces,” said Steve Nardizzi, chief executive officer at WWP. “Their continued generosity has provided Wounded Warrior Project with critical resources to make a positive impact in the lives of wounded veterans. That spirit of giving and support was seen once more through the Wall of Honor campaign. We’re extremely grateful to Southeastern Grocers for their tireless efforts to give back to our nation’s injured service members.”
Southeastern Grocers has actively listened to its customers and associates, and it is abundantly clear that they have tremendous respect and appreciation for Wounded Warrior Project. This passion for the cause led Southeastern Grocers to name WWP as an Official Charity Partner for 2016, enabling future initiatives to increase awareness and support for WWP across all BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores throughout the Southeast. The Wall of Honor campaign provided an immediate opportunity to raise funds and much needed attention for Wounded Warrior Project.
About Southeastern Grocers
Southeastern Grocers, LLC, parent company and home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is the fifth-largest supermarket chain in the U.S. and the second-largest supermarket in the Southeast based on store count. The company employs more than 66,000 associates who serve customers in approximately 756 grocery stores, 145 liquor stores and 504 in-store pharmacies throughout the seven southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and loyal associates, and strong commitments to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, please visit www.bi-lo.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
About the Independence Program
The Independence Program (IP) was created in 2011 to help injured service members and veterans design their own path from surviving to thriving. IP is a partnership between WWP, the warrior and their family, which is uniquely structured to adapt to the warrior’s ever-changing needs. IP pairs warriors who rely on their families and caregivers because of moderate-to-severe brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, or other neurological conditions with a specialized case manager to develop a personalized plan to restore meaningful levels of activity and purpose into their daily lives. In many instances, for the cost of one month in an in-patient institutionalized brain injury rehabilitation program, the WWP Independence Program can provide a year’s worth of community-based support on a weekly basis to an individual wounded veteran.