Stop & Shop Customers Provide Food for Friends in Need

QUINCY, Mass., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Stop & Shop today announced that its 21st annual Food for Friends program has kicked-off in all 379 stores and will run through Friday, Dec. 10. Customers who donate $1, $3, or $5 at their local Stop & Shop will help support more than 300 local hunger relief organizations across the Northeast.

Annually, Stop & Shop's Food for Friends program raises $1 million to feed families in need, with 100 percent of the dollars raised directed to regional food banks. This year, Stop & Shop will also match the first $500 raised by each store up to $190,000.

"Food for Friends is a simple way for our customers to give back to their communities every time they shop," said Amy Murphy, director of marketing and external communications for Stop & Shop. "Last year, together with our customers, we raised more than $1.4 million dollars for local and regional food banks through our Food for Friends program."

The annual campaign will provide a much needed influx of funds for food banks, which continue to provide relief in the wake of the recession and rise in unemployment. According to a 2009 Feeding America report, 99 percent of all participating food banks reported an increase in demand for emergency food assistance, with 91 percent of food banks citing unemployment as a critical factor in the increasing need for emergency food over the last year.*

In addition to in-store donations, this month Stop & Shop will deliver 20,000 turkeys, roughly 280,000 pounds, to local hunger relief organizations across the Northeast. Supported by the Stop & Shop Family Foundation, the program will provide turkeys for families serviced by the Greater Boston Food Bank, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, and Long Island Cares to name a few.  

To learn more about Stop & Shop's work in its communities, visit www.stopandshop.com.

*Source: Feeding America

About Stop & Shop

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company employs more than 59,000 associates and operates stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. The company is a member of the US Green Building Council and has been awarded LEED (EB) certifications for 50 of its existing stores. Stop & Shop has been recognized by the EPA for the superior energy management of its stores and is also a member of the EPA's Smart Way program.

About the Stop & Shop/Giant Family Foundation

The Stop & Shop – Giant Family Foundation was created to support educational and recreational programs for children across the communities served by the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company and Giant Food. The Foundation has donated $35 million to local hunger organizations on behalf of Stop & Shop customers and vendors since it was formed; and in 2010, has already raised and donated more than $5 million to support the communities Stop & Shop serves.

SOURCE Stop & Shop