Stop & Shop has become the official grocery store of the New York Mets, joining forces with the team to fight food insecurity across New York City and Long Island.
The partnership will focus on Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry Program, which supports more than 260 schools across the company’s five-state footprint with in-school pantries that ensure kids have consistent access to healthy food.
In New York City, Stop & Shop has donated more than $2 million to date to support in-school food pantries at nearly 50 schools, including 15 in the Mets’ backyard of Queens, where food insecurity impacts many borough residents:
- Twenty-five percent of families in Queens lack reliable access to nutritious food;
- More than 325,000 of the borough’s residents are dealing with food insecurity;
- Twenty percent of children there are food insecure;
- Pantries and soup kitchens in Queens have reported not having enough food to meet current demand; and
- The federal government’s proposed cuts to SNAP spending could impact 1.8 million New Yorkers, including 560,000 children.
As part of the partnership, the Mets Citi Field Food Truck will make deliveries of hot meals and fresh produce, donated by Stop & Shop, to school food pantries across Queens and Long Island.
“With the team’s deep roots in the community and our shared commitment to ‘Feeding It Forward’ and nourishing families, we believe this partnership will make a meaningful difference where it’s needed most,” said Roger Wheeler, president of Stop & Shop.
The Mets and Stop & Shop made the partnership announcement at P.S. 045, The Clarence Witherspoon Elementary School in South Ozone Park, Queens. Stop & Shop presented a commercial refrigerator and a $20,000 donation to support the school’s food pantry, which serves all 473 enrolled students, including 254 children living in temporary housing. This donation brings Stop & Shop’s contributions to the school to $80,000, including prior support in food, supplies and gift cards.
“We are so grateful to Stop & Shop for their unwavering support of our school food pantry and to the New York Mets for their generous distribution of fresh produce and meaningful engagement with our students,” said Principal Samantha Severin.
The event featured appearances by Mets alumnus, outfielder Endy Chávez, along with team mascots Mr. and Mrs. Met. The Stop & Shop Food Truck distributed popsicles to students, while the Mets Citi Field Food Truck delivered fresh produce for 100 local families.
“We look forward to supporting these impactful events throughout the year and bolstering communities throughout New York City and Long Island together,” said Brenden Mallette, the Mets’ SVP of partnerships.
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