Meijer brings back 'Simply Give' food pantry campaign

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Meijer announced that it is once again implementing its "Simply Give" food pantry campaign to help restock the shelves of 193 local food pantries in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. The family-owned supercenter chain said it hopes to raise its total to more than $1.6 million in food donations since starting the program two years ago.

The latest "Simply Give" effort, Meijer's seventh since 2008, began on Nov. 7 and will continue through Jan. 1, 2011.  The program encourages local shoppers to purchase a $10 Meijer Food Pantry Donation Card at special displays throughout the store. The donation cards are then converted into Meijer Gift cards and given to the local food pantry selected by the store.  (The $10 amount reflects a typical bag of groceries at Meijer.) 

As it has done in the past, Meijer said it is seeding the "Simply Give" program with $100,000 in grocery gift cards that will be divided equally among all the participating food pantries.  The past six efforts have raised nearly $1.4 million in food donations to local organizations.

"It's heart-warming to see how our customers have joined us to help their friends and neighbors during these past two years, " said Hank Meijer, co-chairman and CEO. "This is the third holiday season for the "Simply Give" program, and we are glad to help at the time of the year when demand surges at local food banks and food pantries."