Program provides food assistance

 

Contact:  
Eric Blom
207-885-3132
     
News Release

 

Hannaford program provides nearly $1 million in food assistance

 

SCARBOROUGH, Maine – An anti-hunger campaign sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets has contributed $994,674 in product and cash donations to food banks and food pantries in five states, the company announced today.

 

The Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger initiative invited customers to donate money at the register, buy boxes of food staples for local pantries, or purchase specific products that triggered donations by Hannaford to state and regional food banks. The campaign took place in all 181 Hannaford stores between Oct. 14 and Dec. 31, and Hannaford recently completed product donations to food banks.

 

“Hannaford customers made a real contribution to reducing hunger in local communities, by joining with us to donate nearly $1 million in product and money to pantries and food banks,” said Eric Blom, spokesman for Hannaford. “Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger is a true partnership between anti-hunger agencies, local people and our company focused on helping our neighbors in need.”

 

Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger had three parts:

 

• Hannaford Helping Hands: Boxes of the grocery items that pantries need were sold for $10 each.  These boxes included canned chicken breast, cereal, pasta, sauce, rice, soup and vegetables. Hannaford customers bought a record 80,882 Helping Hands boxes in 2012, an increase of 3 percent over the previous year.

• Register Donation: Customers donated money to their regional or state food bank, right at the register. This program raised more than $58,000 during the 2012 holiday season.

• Buy One, Give One: Customers triggered donations to regional or state food banks by purchasing a particular Hannaford brand product.  For each of these items purchased, Hannaford donated an identical item to the food bank.  Some customers also donated the product they purchased.  This program generated 67,545 boxes of spaghetti, 44,001 cans of sauce and 75,781 cans of vegetables for food banks.

 

“Hannaford is a true partner in our work to end hunger in Maine,” said Kristen Miale, president of Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Maine. “One of the many reasons the Food Bank is able to distribute more than 10 million meals a year to Maine families in need is due to the dedication of Hannaford, its employees and its customers.”

 

The Hannaford program made donations locally and regionally in all the areas where it does business – Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts.

 

“Hannaford’s support spans two decades of hunger relief in Vermont, and their leadership is paramount in ensuring that our neighbors have enough to eat,” said John Sayles, Vermont Foodbank Chief Executive Officer. “As budget cuts and changes to vital nutrition programs loom in Washington, as many as 86,000 Vermonters are struggling with hunger. The donation of food and funds from Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger couldn’t come at a better time.”

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. All Hannaford stores feature Guiding Stars, America’s first storewide nutrition navigation system, and most stores have full-service pharmacies. Hannaford employs more than 26,000 associates. Additional information can be found at www.hannaford.com.

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