Campaign set to run through Jan. 4
Tipp City, OH– New Path food pantry is proud to announce a partnership with Meijer this holiday to provide much-needed hunger relief to local families through the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer’s customer-driven food pantry donation program, Simply Give.
“This year’s Simply Give campaign is essential to the community because of the SNAP cut backs that began October 1, I know of one family personally that went from $200 a month in Snap benefits down to $16 a month for a single mom and her 14 year old son. They have lost a huge percentage of that resource, which in turns sets a burden on local food pantries to meet that need,” said Sherry Loschi, Program Coordinator.”
Each Meijer Simply Give campaign aims to replenish the shelves of more than 200 food pantries in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The program encourages customers to purchase $10 Meijer Food Pantry Donation Cards, which are then converted into Meijer food-only gift cards and given to a local food pantry in the store’s community.
New Path food pantry will benefit from donation cards purchased at the Troy, Meijer store now throughJan. 4.
“We encourage community members to help us fulfill our mission of helping feed the hungry in Miami County by purchasing a Meijer Simply Give food donation card during their next shopping trip,” said Sherry Loschi, Program Coordinator.
In Miami County, $10 equals 5 meals.
For the second consecutive year, Meijer will contribute at least $1 million to the 2013 Simply Giveprogram.
The Simply Give program runs three times a year for about 10 weeks. Since the program began in November 2008, more than $6.5 million – or 39 million meals – have been donated to food pantries in the Midwest.
“Today’s food pantries are in a desperate struggle to keep up with the flood of requests they receive daily,” said Janet Emerson, executive vice president of retail operations for Meijer. “The Simply Giveprogram is a way for Meijer customers to partner with Meijer and support the food banks and pantries that provide food to the hungry families in the communities we serve. We certainly couldn’t do it without the support and commitment of our generous customers and team members, who stand beside us in this effort.”
New Path’s mission is to “Love our neighbors by assisting with basic needs (food) and creating a community that supports stability and fosters transformation”
About Meijer Philanthropy: Meijer is a family-owned retailer based in Grand Rapids, Mich. with a fundamental philosophy aimed at strengthening the communities it serves. Meijer proudly donates more than 6 percent of its net profit each year to charities throughout the Midwest. With hunger as a corporate philanthropic focus, Meijer partners with hundreds of food banks and pantries through itsSimply Give and food rescue programs. Meijer also supports education, disaster relief, and health and wellness initiatives. For additional information on Meijer philanthropy, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/Meijer and @twitter.com/MeijerPR or become a fan atwww.facebook.com/meijer.
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