Stop & Shop, Unilever to Feed Over 1 Million

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. and Unilever have forged a partnership to donate $150,000 for Feeding America and its local member food banks for Hunger Action Month in September.

The donation will provide more than 1 million meals to needy children and families through Stop & Shop’s Family Foundation, which raises funds to eradicate hunger and pediatric cancer, and backs children’s education and support initiatives. The foundation donated $1.5 million to local hunger relief organizations on behalf of Stop & Shop customers and vendors last year as part of a three-year grant program. To date, the Quincy, Mass.-based division of Ahold USA has given more than $30 million to hunger relief efforts since rolling out the “Food for Friends” program in 1989.

“As a company, we are always exploring new ways to support the communities we serve,” noted Stop & Shop director of public affairs Faith Weiner. “This fall, through our partnership with Unilever, we’ve identified a handful of ways customers can join us in our effort to fight childhood hunger. [E]ven donating $1 through our in-store popsicle parties will help make a difference in the life of a child this fall.”

As well as the chain’s popsicle parties, scheduled this year for Sept. 19, at which customers can buy one of the cold treats for $1, with all proceeds going to area food banks, 2010 anti-hunger events include:

• Fill-A-Truck Events: For these events, which deliver canned and nonperishable food items to local organizations, Unilever will match the donation pound for pound, up to $6,100 for each event, with additional products from the Unilever brand portfolio.
• In-Store Promotions: When shoppers buy $15 of select Unilever items through Sept. 30, they’ll get $4 off and the Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based manufacturer will donate $1, which is the equivalent of seven meals for hungry families through Feeding America and its local member food banks. Among the Unilever brands taking part are Bertolli Sauce, Breyers, Good Humor, Hellmann’s, I Can't Believe It’s Not Butter, Klondike, Knorr Side Dishes, Lipton Soup, Popsicle, Promise, Ragu Sauce, Skippy, Suave and Wishbone.
• Baseball Partnerships: A partnership with the Red Sox Radio Network and the Yankees Radio Network enables Unilever to donate 100 pounds of food to area member food banks for every “strike-out” pitched during September.

Stop & Shop employs more than 59,000 associates and operates stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.