ShopRite’s recent ShopRite Partners In Caring Cheerios Contest raised $1.3 million, which the company attributed to customers’ generosity and the dedication of its associates who helped raise awareness around food insecurity.
As part of the annual hunger-fighting tradition, employees from the top fundraising stores will be featured on limited-edition Cheerios cereal boxes the grocer sells in the spring.
ShopRite and General Mills, which sponsored the contest, will recognize the 47 top fundraising stores with special in-store celebrations and cereal box unveilings through May 16.
The celebratory season kicks off March 7 at the ShopRite of Ramsey in New Jersey, owned and operated by the Inserra family. The top fundraising store of this year’s SRPIC Cheerios Contest, the Ramsey team raised nearly $50,000.
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“The Cheerios contest is a cherished tradition for ShopRite Partners In Caring that not only recognizes the hard work of the store teams and the families who own and operate ShopRite stores, but also reinforces our collective mission to fight food insecurity,” said Steven Hildner, administrator of corporate social responsibility at ShopRite.
“Each year, the money raised from this initiative helps strengthen the impact of regional food banks, ensuring that more individuals and families have access to the foods they need,”
Celebrating its 25th year, the contest starts in September during Hunger Action Month. That’s when associates across most ShopRite stores collect donations at checkout and in-store.
Shoppers also are encouraged to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, and many retail teams sponsor special store events and sales to raise money for hunger-relief organizations.
Each winning store also receives prize money to donate to local food pantries selected by the respective store teams. The top five fundraising stores receive $5,000 each and the remaining stores get $2,500.
All winning ShopRite stores include:
- New Jersey: ShopRite of Bayonne, ShopRite of Berlin, ShopRite of Brookdale, ShopRite of Byram, ShopRite of Chews Landing, ShopRite of Clinton, ShopRite of Evesham Road, ShopRite of Flemington, ShopRite of Franklin, ShopRite of Hackensack, ShopRite of Hillsdale, ShopRite of Lyndhurst, ShopRite of Mansfield, ShopRite of Marmora, ShopRite of Medford, ShopRite of Metro Plaza, ShopRite of Morristown, ShopRite of Mullica Hill, ShopRite of New Milford, ShopRite of Newton, ShopRite of Ramsey, ShopRite of Sparta, ShopRite of Springfield, ShopRite of Succasunna, ShopRite of Sussex and ShopRite of West Orange;
- New York: ShopRite of Carmel, ShopRite of Chester, ShopRite of Croton, ShopRite of Elmsford-Greenburgh, ShopRite of Fishkill, ShopRite of Forest & Richmond, ShopRite of Hylan Plaza, ShopRite of Lagrangeville, ShopRite of Liberty, ShopRite of New Rochelle, ShopRite of Stony Point, ShopRite of Tuckahoe and ShopRite of Veterans Road;
- Pennsylvania: ShopRite of Birney Plaza, ShopRite of Brodheadsville, ShopRite of Daleville, ShopRite of Morrell Plaza, ShopRite of Mount Pocono, ShopRite of Westfall and ShopRite of Yardley; and
- Connecticut: ShopRite of Canton.
About ShopRite Partners In Caring
ShopRite Partners In Caring is a year-round, community-based, hunger-fighting initiative that works with more than 50 food industry manufacturers to provide $3 million annually to qualified charitable agencies in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania – the states in which ShopRite operates.
Since its inception in 1999, the effort has donated $62 million to more than 2,200 charities. It supports emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, childcare centers, homeless and battered women’s shelters, senior citizen offerings, drug rehab facilities, programs for the mentally and physically disabled, after-school programs and other organizations.
For more information or to learn how to help, visit shopritepartnersincaring.org.