Meijer Launches Latest "Simply Give" Food Pantry Donation Program

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With Food pantries struggling to keep up with demand in late summer, Meijer announces the launch of its latest Simply Give campaign to provide support to local food banks and pantries.  

Unemployment continues to challenge the U.S. economy and an increasing number of people now focus on local food banks to help feed their families.  To help ease these shortages at food banks during the late summer and early fall seasons, Meijer is once again teaming up with its customers to launch its Simply Give Food Pantry Campaign to help restock the shelves of nearly 200 local food pantries in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.  

"We appreciate the support and commitment of our generous customers as we reach out to those in our local communities who need help in the fight against hunger," said Janet Emerson, executive vice president of operations for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer.  "Food pantries continue to see an increase in the number of people needing assistance. Our Simply Give program connects us at the grass roots level with local food pantries, in partnership with our customers."

The program, which debuted in November 2008, aims to replenish the shelves of local food pantries in each city and town where a Meijer store is located.  Since 2008, Meijer has held nine Simply Give programs, each one running for approximately eight weeks.

This most recent Simply Give program began on July 31 and will continue through September 24 and will gather donations for 195 local food pantries.  The spring campaign helped Meijer surpass the $2 million mark in total donations since the program was established.

The Simply Give program encourages local shoppers to purchase a $10 Meijer Food Pantry Donation Card at special displays throughout the store as well as Meijer gas stations and pharmacies.  The donation cards are then converted into Meijer Gift cards and given to the local food pantry selected by the store.  As it has done in the past, Meijer will seed the Simply Give program with $100,000 in grocery gift cards that will be divided equally among all the participating food pantries.  

Meijer donates more than six percent of its net profit annually to a large group of charities and organizations throughout the five states where its stores are located.  The Simply Give program was created as another way to ensure support goes to the communities where Meijer stores are located.

About Meijer

Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 196 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. As the inventor 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. Additional information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more can be found at www.meijer.com.

SOURCE Meijer