Hunger Relief
Food banks view Smith’s as a reliable partner in fighting hunger, a reputation we cherish and a reason why Smith’s along with all other Kroger divisions was honored to be named Feeding America’s “Retailer of the Year” for five of the past eight years.
In 2009, Smith’s stepped up its commitment to capture more wholesome yet unsalable foods like fruits and vegetables, lunchmeats and cheeses from being thrown away by launching the Perishable Donation Partnership. Rather than dumping the food at the end of its salable life, it is frozen or chilled for local food banks to pick up from stores on a regular basis. These foods add nutritional value, support sustainable practices and make associates feel good about eliminating food waste while they are helping others.
A total of 2.7 million pounds of perishable food was picked up from Smith’s stores in 2009 through the Perishable Donation Partnership, which translates to 3,456,000 additional meals made available for hungry neighbors. As well, Smith’s donated $312,000 to local food pantries to help build their capacity to receive, store and distribute food.
The Gift of Giving program offered an easy way for customers to donate 3,600 turkeys and 3,000 non-perishable meal bags during the Holidays. One simply added the promotional cost to the grocery order at checkout. Smith’s then delivered those items by caseload to local food banks allowing for easy storage and distribution.