Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets has announced that one of its charitable campaigns, the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program, has generated more than $2 million in donations to community organizations throughout New England and New York.
The Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program invites shoppers to purchase special Fight Hunger and Community reusable shopping bags at store registers. For each bag sold, Hannaford donates $1 to a local hunger relief agency or nonprofit in the store’s community.
Since the program’s inception in 2014, more than 2.7 million reusable bags benefitting more than 5,600 nonprofits have been sold at Hannaford, replacing the need for more than 82 million single-use plastic bags. Additionally, nearly 9.4 million meals have been provided through the purchase of the bags.
“The Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program is a great example of how small acts add up to a big impact,” said Sherri Stevens, Hannaford Supermarkets community relations manager.
“The program’s success is attributable to the generosity of our customers, who share with us in our commitment to increase access to food and improve our communities. We thank our shoppers for their continued support of this outstanding initiative.”
The program has two facets: the Fight Hunger bag, which benefits hunger relief organizations in the five states where Hannaford operates; and the Community bag, which supports local non-profits focused on a variety of causes, including health and wellness and child and family development.
Amongst the beneficiaries of the program is My Place Teen Center in Westbrook, Maine, a year-round after-school program for teens and young adults that provides academic support, civic engagement opportunities, job training and life skills programs.
“We are at the forefront of some of the most crucial issues of our time. We fight to keep kids safe from the devastation of the opioid epidemic, we combat poverty and food insecurity and we create authentic communities with kids from diverse backgrounds by teaching them to be good citizens and neighbors,” said Donna Dwyer, My Place Teen Center president and CEO.
“We are so grateful to Hannaford for championing our mission and providing us with nearly $8,200 in donations from these charitable programs.”
The Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program was developed in partnership with PS It Matters, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based organization that helps administer the initiative.
