Meijer customers donated more than $510,000 during the company’s holiday Simply Give campaign, helping food pantries throughout the Midwest restock their shelves.
Combined with a donation from Meijer, the holiday campaign raised more than $1.2 million, making it the most successful campaign since Simply Give began in November 2008.
"We cannot thank our customers, team members and pantry partners enough for continuing to rise to the challenge and help us feed hungry families in the communities we serve," co-chairman Doug Meijer said. "It's truly inspiring to see this level of engagement, especially as we celebrated Simply Give's five-year milestone this holiday season."
The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer began its Simply Give program as a way to help local food pantries throughout the Midwest achieve their missions of feeding hungry families.
“Thanks to the holiday campaign that ended earlier this month, the Simply Give program has generated nearly $8 million for those partners to distribute to hungry families. And, more important, those meals stay local,” said Janet Emerson, EVP of retail operations for Meijer.
During the Simply Give program, which runs three times a year, customers are encouraged to purchase $10 Meijer Food Pantry Donation Cards that are then converted into Meijer food-only gift cards and given to the food pantry selected by the store.