JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southeastern Grocers Inc. (SEG), parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, announces the donation of $160,000 to eight Southeast food banks to help combat food insecurity among families during the summer months.
According to Feeding America®, 1 in 8 children across the United States may experience food insecurity1, and millions of children count on school meal programs to provide their daily nutrition. However, during the summer break, many children worry about where their next meal will come from as they lose access to these crucial programs while school is not in session.
Raymond Rhee, Chief People Officer for Southeastern Grocers, said, “With children at home during the summer months, the struggle to put enough food on the table for many families is often magnified. Through our donations to local food banks and our ongoing community hunger-relief initiatives, we are proud to support the tireless work of our regional partners to bridge the nutrition gap for our neighbors in need. We are dedicated to providing families with the nourishing food they need for a healthy life, and we remain committed to strengthening the communities we serve – today and every day.”
The five states SEG serves, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, rank in the top 20 for highest child poverty rates in the country, with three states falling within the top ten2. With these somber rankings further highlighting the critical need, SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation are steadfast in their commitment to support organizations that alleviate the burden on families in local communities. The following local food banks will each receive $20,000 to help fight hunger this summer:
- Brighter Bites - Southwest Florida
- Community Food Bank of Central Alabama
- Feeding Northeast Florida
- Feeding South Florida
- Feeding Tampa Bay
- Feeding the Gulf Coast
- Food Bank of Greater Baton Rouge
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
The grocer continues to support neighbors in need throughout the year by giving back to local initiatives working to nurture underserved communities. Last month, the grocer donated $20,000 in groceries and vital funds to New Orleans Community Fridges, a local mutual aid effort to provide free food to community members in need. SEG is also partnering with Pie in the Sky Community Alliance, through the end of the year, to deliver 100 cartons of fresh eggs each month to more than 550 seniors in St. Johns County, Florida. In 2022, SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation donated more than $700,000 and 14 million pounds of food to organizations combating hunger throughout the Southeast, including Feeding America® network food banks.
Additionally, with inflationary pressures continuing to affect people across the country, SEG is committed to helping every customer save on their grocery bills. In addition to shopping weekly specials, customers can maximize savings by using the grocer’s loyalty program with the Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie apps. The rewards program offers additional winning deals, digital coupons and points that can be redeemed for money off groceries. The program also provides points multipliers and personalized rewards offers as well as the grocer’s new Big App Deal, which allows customers to score a free item or bonus points. Now through July 18, shoppers who activate the Big App Deal within the app will earn $5 in rewards points when purchasing SE Grocers Ground Coffee.
SEG also lowers prices on more than 150 commonly shopped items each season to help customers stretch their grocery budget year-round. Through the grocer’s “Down Down” program in Winn-Dixie stores, customers can save more than 15% on average at their neighborhood store when shopping items marked by the red hand on signs and tags throughout the store. Similarly, items marked in yellow and green signage at Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket are part of the “Low Price” and “Low Low Price” programs providing customers with deep discounts on their family’s grocery trip.
For more information on savings, customers are encouraged to stop in their local Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores, or visit www.frescoymas.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
About Southeastern Grocers
Southeastern Grocers Inc. (SEG), parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is an omnichannel retailer and one of the largest conventional supermarket companies in the U.S., serving customers in brick-and-mortar grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies as well as online with convenient grocery delivery and curbside pickup throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and caring associates and a strong commitment to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.frescoymas.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
About SEG Gives Foundation
SEG Gives Foundation is the charitable arm of Southeastern Grocers Inc. (SEG), parent company of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores. The SEG Gives Foundation aligns giving with causes that are priorities to the communities SEG serves, including the fight against hunger, support for military service members and their families, relief to those affected by extreme weather and natural disasters and championing belonging, inclusion and diversity by combating social injustice to bridge the gap of inequities faced by many individuals, families and communities. Southeastern Grocers strives to be ingrained in its communities and, through the SEG Gives Foundation, better the lives of its customers and neighbors.
1 Feeding America: 2023 Map the Meal Gap
2 U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 ACS 5-Year Survey (Table S1701)
