Hannaford commits $500,000 to child nutrition

Contact:
Eric Blom
885-3132

     
News Release

 

Scarborough, Maine – Hannaford today announced more than $500,000 in donations to community partners across its five states who are working to bridge the gaps in access to nutritious food for young children.

 

The funds are supporting community partners that focus on times when young children and school-age children face greater risk for being without nutritious food.

 

"Hannaford has been successful in substantially increasing our donations of fresh food to local food pantries," said Mike Vail, president of Hannaford Supermarkets. "This support builds on that work and addresses a critical need that our community partners understand well. Many families with children are stressed in meeting basic needs, including the essential need for nutritious food."

 

About half of the donations are being raised through the Hannaford Chef's Table promotion this year, with a financial match of $250,000 from Hannaford.

 

The Hannaford Chef's Table includes four local chefs with passion for building community and for helping home cooks make fresh, affordable meals. Purchase of select ingredients for the chef's favorite recipes generates donations to child nutrition.

 

The four chefs participating in the Hannaford Chef's Table are: Kathy Gunst, food journalist and cookbook author; Kerry Altiero, owner of Café Miranda in Rockland, Maine; Ric Orlando, owner of New World Bistro Bar in Albany’s Capital Region; and, David Turin, owner of David’s, David’s Opus 10 in Portland, Maine, and David’s 388 in South Portland, Maine.

 

Reduction of food waste has been another key Hannaford strategy in supporting local food pantry partners. Since 2013, Hannaford has increased the volume of food rescued from stores for donation from the equivalent of 6 million meals annually to 20 million meals last year.

 

"We are proud of the work our stores have done to generate more donations," Vail said. "We have put additional focus on child nutrition because it's such an essential building block for healthy communities."

 

The beneficiaries for the Hannaford grants include:

In Maine, the school food pantries and nutrition education outreach of Good Shepherd Food Bank and its Cooking Matters program.

In New Hampshire, weekend and vacation food for school children and nutrition education from End 68 Hours Hunger, the New Hampshire Food Bank and Cooking Matters.

In Vermont, school-based food pantries supported through the Vermont Food Bank.

In New York: school food pantries and food backpacks supported through the Northeast Regional Food Bank.

In Massachusetts, the after-school feeding programs of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Massachusetts.

 

About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 181 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hannaford employs more than 26,000 associates. Additional information can be found at www.hannaford.com.

About the Hannaford Chef's Table
The Hannaford Chef's Table is a partnership that includes four local chefs with passion for building community and for helping home cooks make fresh, affordable meals. The four are Kathy Gunst, food journalist and cookbook author; Kerry Altiero, owner of Café Miranda in Rockland; Ric Orlando, owner of New World Home Cooking and New World Bistro Bar in Albany’s Capital Region; and, David Turin, owner of David’s, David’s Opus 10 in Portland, and David’s 388 in South Portland;