Meijer Matches Donations to Local Food Pantry, Nov. 15-16

Meijer Celebrates 5 Years of Feeding Hungry Families through Simply Give Program by Matching Donations 2-to-1 Nov. 15-16

Retailer’s program generated more than $6.5 million, or 39 million meals for local food pantries.

Meijer customers are encouraged to purchase $10 Meijer Food Pantry Donation Cards which will be converted into Meijer food-only gift cards.

For every $10 donation card purchased Nov. 15-16, the Grand Rapids, MI-retailer will give $20 to the program, resulting in a total $30 donation.

The cards will be given to the Evergreen Park Community Food Pantry so it can replenish its shelves and help local residents facing difficult times enjoy the holidays.

“We know how important it is to our customers that their generous donations remain in their local communities,” said Janet Emerson, executive vice president of retail operations for Meijer. “That’s why each of our stores partner with a local food pantry during the Simply Give campaign.”

Customers can find the donation cards on fixtures near the checkout; they will also be near the Meijer Taste of the Holidays in-store sampling stations Nov. 16. The sampling menu event will feature a variety of Thanksgiving menu items, including Purple Cow pumpkin pie ice cream, harvest artichoke dip and sweet pepper crostini bread.

The Simply Give program in stated in November 2008 as a way to help local food pantries throughout the Midwest achieve their missions of feeding hungry families. Since then, the program has generated more than $6.5 million, which equals 39 million meals for those partners to distribute to hungry families. The meals stay local and remain within the community.

One in six Americans, or more than 50 million people, are considered food insecure, which means they don’t know where their next meal will come from, according to Feeding America.

In Illinois, more than 1.9 million people are considered food insecure.