GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Food solutions company SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) continues to support local food pantries across the Midwest, recently donating $325,000 through in-store fundraising efforts and a pledge from the SpartanNash Foundation to provide hunger relief for those who are food insecure. This fundraising campaign complements SpartanNash’s year-round food donations to local pantries nationwide, totaling more than four million pounds of food annually and eliminating waste from landfills.
"As part of our mission to deliver the ingredients for a better life and through our ESG strategy, SpartanNash is committed to providing equitable access to nutrition in the communities we serve,” said Adrienne Chance, SpartanNash vice president, communications and executive director of the SpartanNash Foundation. "Layering our commitment with these additional fundraising efforts allows us to support pantries and their customers in a wider variety of ways.”
During the campaign, store guests were invited to donate at checkout to join the fight against hunger. Participating SpartanNash stores included Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets, VG's Grocery, Dan's Supermarket, D&W Fresh Market and Forest Hills Foods; shoppers also donated online through Fast Lane. Approximately one in 10 shoppers, as well as SpartanNash Associates, donated.
Every dollar makes a significant impact and can feed approximately four people, according to Feeding America. Since starting the fundraiser in 2016, SpartanNash Foundation has raised over $2 million dedicated to food pantry support, which translates to more than eight million meals for those in need.
An increasing number of families are turning to food pantries as they face food insecurity—one in five U.S. families are not sure where their next meal will come from, according to Feeding America. Each SpartanNash-owned grocery store has a localized, neighborhood feel, and leadership teams at the store level were invited to select a recipient community food pantry, so the dollars raised stayed local.
One of the nearly 100 food pantries that has partnered with SpartanNash is Together, based in Omaha, Neb. Together President and CEO Mike Hornaeck said, "Many more households have food in their cupboards and healthy meals on their table because of SpartanNash's annual retail scan campaign. In partnership, we are helping prevent and end hunger and homelessness, thanks to SpartanNash."
About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life through customer-focused innovation. Its core businesses include distributing grocery products to a diverse group of independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges; as well as operating a premier fresh produce distribution network and the Our Family® brand. SpartanNash serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti. The company owns 145 supermarkets—primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG's Grocery and Dan's Supermarket—and shares its operational insights to drive solutions for SpartanNash food retail customers. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 19,000 strong and growing. For more information, visit spartannash.com.