Stop & Shop and Customers Raise Nearly $2 Million Through Food for Friends Program

QUINCY, Mass., Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stop & Shop customers and partners set the bar high once again by donating nearly $2 million through the company's 22nd annual Food for Friends program. Stop & Shop will donate 100 percent of the funds to regional food banks and local pantries across the Northeast as part of the company's hunger relief efforts.

The storewide effort kicked-off on Oct. 28 and ran through Dec. 11, 2011. The program was comprised of several different elements:

• Customers could contribute through in-store donations of $1, $3 or $5 at checkout registers.
• "Charity boxes" filled with Stop & Shop Own Brands items were sold in New England area stores. Proceeds were donated to the program and the boxes were donated directly to a local food pantry each store adopts.
• "Trimmings bags" filled with Stop & Shop Own Brands items were sold in New York Metro area stores. Proceeds were donated to the program and the bags were donated directly to Island Harvest, a Long Island food bank.
• Several food and beverage manufacturers contributed donations.
• Stop & Shop contributed a company match of $500 per store.

In total, the program raised approximately $2 million, all of which will be used to fight hunger in local communities. Sixty percent is donated to a local hunger relief agency or food pantry each store adopts; forty percent is donated to regional food banks.

"Food for Friends is an easy way for communities to come together and give food security to those who wouldn't otherwise have it," said Mark McGowan, president of Stop & Shop's New England division. "We are proud to have partnered with our customers and help provide more than 15 million meals to families across the Northeast this winter."

In total, hundreds of hunger relief agencies and across the Northeast benefited from the donation, including fourteen regional food banks:

• The Greater Boston Food Bank – $220,404
• Connecticut Food Bank – $125,319  
• Foodshare – $92,320
• Rhode Island Community Food Bank – $72,765
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey – $69,733
• Food Bank for New York City – $54,155
• Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties – $39,405
• Worcester County Food Bank – $36,231
• Food Bank of Western Mass. – $45,288
• Long Island Cares – $43,200  
• Island Harvest – $26,563   
• Food Bank of Hudson Valley – $19,267
• New Hampshire Food Bank – $16,551
• Food Bank of Westchester County – $15,611

A selection of stores that raised significant amounts includes:

1. 91 Point Judith Road, Narragansett, RI - $18,529
2. 665 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT - $18,458
3. 40 Franklin Village Drive, Franklin, MA - $16,619
4. 99 Linwood Avenue, Colchester, CT - $16,530
5. 44-46 Lake Avenue Ext. Danbury, CT - $13,990
6. 137 Portsmouth Avenue, Exeter, NH - $13,699
7. 829 Worcester Street, Natick, MA - $13,029
8. 54 Hazard Avenue, Enfield, CT - $13,023
9. 248 Flanders Road, East Lyme, CT - $12,713
10. 10 Bates Road, Mashpee, MA - $12,433
11. 100 Main Street North, Southbury, CT - $11,655
12. 89-89 Union Tpke., Glendale, NY - $11,379
13. 940 Easton Avenue, Somerset, NJ - $8,766
14. 3126 Jericho Turnpike East, Northport, NY - $8,688
15. 6734 Rte. 9, Rhinebeck, NY - $8,552
16. 55 Brick Blvd., Brick, NJ - $8,518
17. 200 E. Main Street, Stratford, CT - $8,261
18. 380 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT - $7,884
19. 64-66 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY - $7,776
20. 133 Main Street, Madison, NJ - $7,731

This past holiday season, Stop & Shop also gifted approximately 20,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to regional food banks and local pantries across the Northeast through its Turkey Express program and supported hunger relief efforts through the Stop & Shop/Giant Family Foundation.

Information regarding money raised in each local Stop & Shop market is available. Please contact Suzi Robinson (New England area) or Arlene Putterman (New York Metro area).

To learn more about Stop & Shop's hunger relief efforts visit www.stopandshop.com.

About Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC employs approximately 62,000 associates and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. The company helps support local communities fight hunger, combat childhood cancer and promote general health and wellness – with emphasis on children's educational and support programs. In its commitment to be a sustainable company, Stop & Shop is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and EPA's Smart Way program; has been awarded LEED (EB) certifications for 50 of its existing stores; and has been recognized by the EPA for the superior energy management of its stores. Stop & Shop is an Ahold company. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.

SOURCE Stop & Shop