ShopRite Partners In Caring
Can you imagine being hungry? I don’t mean hungry as in wanting a snack. I mean hungry as in going without food because you don’t have any. Hunger causes weak immune systems, fatigue, depression and cognitive and behavioral development problems. It’s a sad thought isn’t it? I think of some of the commercials on television asking people to fight hunger and until last year I never really thought of hunger as being an issue in my community.
According to Feeding America more than 36 million Americans (11 percent of U.S. households) do not know when or what their next meal will be. Of that number, more than one third are children and seniors. The rates of food insecurity within areas close to me shocked and saddened me.
- New Jersey – 7.7%
- Delaware – 7.8%
- Maryland – 9.5%
- Connecticut – 8.6%
- Pennsylvania – 10%
- New York – 9.8%
There are ways to fight hunger. ShopRite has been trying to fight hunger for more than twenty years, first as part of the Feeding America network (formerly America’s Second Harvest) and the Checkout Hunger program. In 1999 ShopRite took their desire to fight hunger in the areas they serve to another level by creating ShopRite Partners In Caring (SRPIC). General Mills has been one of the program’s most supportive vendors. The ShopRite Partners In Caring program has donated more than $20 million to the 23 regional food banks and more than 1,400 charitable agencies it. The donations go to emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, child care centers, battered women’s shelters, senior programs, programs for the mentally and physically disabled, drug rehab centers and after school programs. The program has received awards including
- Good Neighbor Award – Food Marketing Institute (FMI)
- Retailer of the Year Award – America’s Second Harvest/Feeding America
- Outstanding Achievement Award – Hudson Valley Food Bank
- Crystal Toque Award – Philadelphia and South Jersey
- Outstanding Spirit Award – Monmouth and Ocean County Food Bank
- Connecticut Food Bank – Bill Liddell Award
- Corporate Excellence Award – Food Bank for New York City
217 ShopRite stores across the six states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland are a part of this much needed program. When we shop in these stores and buy items marked with the ShopRite Partners In Caring shelf label we are supporting ShopRite and more than fifty vendors participate in the program. So the bags of groceries feed not only our families, but they also help feed people suffering from hunger. For more on the program, visit www.ShopRitePartnersInCaring.org.
Please join me in the fight against hunger. General Mills and ShopRite will donate one box of cereal to a food bank in ShopRite’s trading area for the first 30 comments I receive on this post. Also, please consider making a donation, which you can do on the ShopRite Partners In Caring site or by mail. A $1 donation can purchase 10 pounds of food from a food bank. a little bit truly can go a long way. And one person can make a difference.
Thanks for sharing Val, we all need to look at how much we waste and how much we can save and pass on to the needy. I’m in my local Shop Rite at least once or twice a week and never knew about this program. Lets try to make Ocean County a leader in feeding the hungry!
it makes me very upset to see the waste people have and the food that is thrown out because they don’t like it, and there are so many children and seniors hungry, why can’t we all pitch in and use these unnecessary foods to feed them.
So sad how many people are starving right here in the U.S. What a wonderful way (easy too) for us to help out one person in need. God Bless.
This shoulden’t be in this day and age. Our politicians should be embarrassed by this.
What a blesssing this will be. Thanks for doing it.
This is a great thing that Shop Rite is doing to help feed the hungry. I used to shop at Shop Rite all the time when we lived in Connecticut.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks for emailing me so I didn’t miss a chance to come leave a comment and help.
This really is an excellent program thank you Val for showing so much passion for the one that often get overlooked.
Great Idea Val I love how you are always looking for ways to help people I am also very glad to see Shop-Rite doing things like this. No one should ever go hungry.
It’s so hard to imagine. I don’t think I’ve ever truly been hungry like some people know.
This is an excellent program and can help so many people right here in our own country that are in true need. It is a shame that in a country as prosperous as ours, we have neighbors who may not know where their next meal is coming from.
Excellent post and I hope it raises awareness.
Wow, the thought that hunger is so prevalent in our abundant society is mind-blowing. Yay ShopRite for stepping up to the plate as it were and thank you Val for the post!
Such a worthy cause. It would surprise many people to learn how many single parents and elderly people cannot afford to eat and don’t qualify for food stamps. Many kudos to Shoprite!
That was a fantastic post! i nver realized the numbers where so high! its awful and to think of everything i eat!
I’m so glad you’re doing this. I do volunteer work at a food pantry where they give free food and clothing to the needy. There are more people coming this year than ever. Times are hard for a lot of people!
Wow. I had no idea the magnitude of hunger here in the US. This is a fantastic program.
There’s so much we can do to help each other out in such small ways, just like this. Thanks for posting about it and helping get the word out.
What a fabulous program!
Such a great program! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful cause!!!
GREAT post! Thanks for sharing the info!!
What a great way to help others!