Meijer Donates $10,000 to Gleaners Community Food Bank and Forgotten Harvest Through Retailer's "Get Gifted" Online Holiday Contest

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Meijer has donated $10,000 to two southeast Michigan food banks as part of the retailer's nationwide online holiday contest, "Get Gifted," that also awarded one lucky winner – a Macomb County, Mich. resident – with $10,000 in Meijer gift cards.

Meijer representatives and grand prize winner Vicki Spokes presented the $10,000 donation to Gleaners Community Food Bank and Forgotten Harvest last week. Both food banks are members of Feeding America®, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity with a network of 200 food banks nationwide.

"While we are always pleased when our customers engage with our brand online, it's especially satisfying when the end result provides a benefit to such a worthy cause," said Kevin Brown, chief marketing officer of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. "Food giving continues to be a focus at Meijer, and we appreciate our customers joining us in this effort."

Each year, Meijer donates more than 6 percent of its net profits to charity.

The donation will help make a difference in the community, said John Dziurgot, vice president of operations for Gleaners Community Food Bank.

"Gleaners is grateful to Meijer for its leadership in addressing hunger," Dziurgot said. "With one in five households in southeast Michigan facing hunger, this generous donation will help Gleaners ensure that our neighbors are not forced to choose between buying food and paying the bills. We appreciate Meijer's efforts to bring attention to hunger in our community and to provide two excellent organizations with much-needed resources to address the problem."

The "Get Gifted" contest launched nationwide in November to give customers a feel for the hot brands of the season by offering players a chance to explore three rooms of a Meijer home through 360-degree videos. It was the first time a big box retailer utilized the interactive 360-degree video technology with a contest.

The contest was quite popular, drawing nearly 3.3 million featured merchandise clicks and more than 255,000 sweeps entrants. The contest launched on Nov. 10 and concluded on Dec. 18.

More than 100 prizes – three each day – were awarded throughout the contest period, and included gifts such as a Nintendo 3DS, a 32" Vizio television, and a Barbie Dream Townhouse. The Grand Prize winner received $10,000 in Meijer gift cards.

Even though Vicki Spokes, 55, entered the contest daily, she said she never dreamed she'd win the grand prize.

"I was just hoping I would get lucky and win a $50 gift card," Spokes said. "I never in a million years thought I would win $10,000 in gift cards. I was shocked and surprised and in awe. My grandchildren will reap the rewards."

Aside from the contest's unique digital focus, Spokes said she was pleased to know that it also included a philanthropic component. 

The $10,000 donation to the Feeding America member food banks – Gleaners Community Food Bank and Forgotten Harvest – equals more than 34,000 meals for the hungry, according to Feeding America.

"Every dollar we can generate is critical to Forgotten Harvest's battle against hunger," said Russ Russell, Forgotten Harvest chief development officer. "This award will provide over 16,000 meals to those in need of food. We are deeply appreciative of their commitment to helping us drive hunger from the community."

Russell added that Meijer supports Forgotten Harvest daily as a food donor. In 2011, Meijer donated more than 500,000 pounds of food that would otherwise have gone to waste, as well as a semi-tractor to help expand its mobile pantry program.

To view the food bank donation presentation video, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYQeJau3QNY.

To review the "Get Gifted" contest, please visit www.meijer.com/getgifted.

About Feeding America: Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 197 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. As a pioneer of the "one-stop shopping" concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers and apparel offerings. For more information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/meijer or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.

SOURCE Meijer