SpartanNash Unveils Immersive Grocery Experience for High School Students in Partnership with Junior Achievement

New experiential activation at Junior Achievement's Finance Park will serve to inspire and educate students about careers in the grocery industry and financial planning

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Food solutions company SpartanNash (the "Company") (Nasdaq: SPTN) today announced a partnership with youth education nonprofit Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes (JAMGL) to support JA Finance Park®, the organization's capstone program for financial planning and career exploration. On Monday, SpartanNash participated in a ribbon-cutting event outside of its new Family Fare experiential learning center.

"Financial independence and career exploration are two of the most important skills we can teach young people – and grocery is an essential industry with many admirable career paths across supply chain, retail, transportation and corporate job functions," said SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam. "Our new partnership with JA of the Michigan Great Lakes aligns with SpartanNash's mission to deliver the ingredients for a better life, including the careers that make a better life possible." 

At the Family Fare activation, students will have an immersive, real-life experience and choose from a wide range of careers, including cashier, supply chain forklift operator, corporate Associate and more. They will learn how to create a monthly budget based on their career and family scenario, then plan their grocery purchases in accordance with that budget. The activation also features an interactive 136-inch TV display for students to visualize different career paths, plus the opportunity to take a selfie that places them on the SpartanNash private label Our Family^® brand of Wheat Flakes cereal.

SpartanNash's five-year commitment to JAMGL will include ongoing financial support and Associate volunteer opportunities. This summer, the Company raised over $150,000 for JA through its back-to-school in-store fundraiser.

"We are thrilled to continue our journey with SpartanNash through this new partnership for our JA Finance Park® Capstone program," said JAMGL President and CEO Bill Coderre. "SpartanNash shares our passion to empower young individuals, and workforce development education is an important addition to the program. We believe in the power of helping students master financial independence while educating them about the various career paths available to live responsibly." 

The storefront will open at the Karl & Susan Hascall JA Finance Park® when classes begin in January 2024. For more information, visit JA Finance Park of Michigan Great Lakes.

About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 and growing. SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments – food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. The Company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, from fresh produce to household goods to its OwnBrands, which include the Our Family^® portfolio of products. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 144 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. Leveraging insights and solutions across its segments, SpartanNash offers a full suite of support services for independent grocers. For more information, visit spartannash.com.

About Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes 
Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes is the nation's 21st largest JA chapter and an area office of JA USA, the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The organization offers programs to help prepare young people in Mid, West, and North Michigan for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and are empowered to own their economic success. Visit www.westmichigan.ja.org for more information.

CONTACT: 
Adrienne Chance
SVP, Communications
SpartanNash
[email protected] 

SOURCE SpartanNash