FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020
CONTACT:
Allison Benczkowski, Director, Corporate Communications, 616-878-2644
Fundraising effort ran July 1-12, raising the largest amount in company history to support military heroes, their families and those who made the ultimate sacrifice
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – As part of its commitment to building stronger communities and serving those who served, the SpartanNash Foundation recently joined with store guests and company associates to raise $330,000 on behalf of nonprofit organizations Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB), Operation Homefront and Honor and Remember.
The $330,000 is the largest amount ever raised during a SpartanNash Foundation companywide fundraising effort and will be evenly split between the trio of patriotic partners to support military heroes, their families and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
SpartanNash Foundation grants will be used to connect servicemembers, veterans and their families to their local communities through physical and social activity, provide critical financial assistance and family support services and honor those who lost their lives defending our freedoms.
“One of our company’s core values is patriotism, and we are deeply committed to serving our military heroes and their families both at home and abroad,” said Kathy Mahoney, SpartanNash Chief Legal Officer and President of the SpartanNash Foundation Board of Trustees. “We are so proud to have raised such an impressive amount to support Team RWB, Operation Homefront and Honor and Remember and the important work they do to support our military heroes no matter their need – whether it is a financial emergency, seeking the camaraderie of fellow veterans or recognition of their sacrifice.”
Between July 1 and 12, store guests who visited any participating SpartanNash-owned retail store or fuel center had the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10 at any checkout lane, or round their total up to the nearest dollar to support Team RWB, Operation Homefront and Honor and Remember. More than 150 stores participated in the Foundation scan, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery and Dan’s Supermarket.
Twenty Martin’s Super Markets in Michigan and Indiana also took part in the SpartanNash Foundation scan campaign for the first time, introducing the Foundation and its mission to Martin’s store guests.
“Beyond these vital funds, SpartanNash also contributes thousands of dollars, products and volunteer hours to military and veterans organizations and events each year – as well as hiring veterans and their family members as a Military Friendly® and veteran-friendly employer,” Mahoney said. “As a leading distributor of grocery products to U.S. military commissaries throughout the world, SpartanNash sees firsthand the sacrifices our servicemen and women make to protect our freedoms every day, and we are proud to join with our patriotic partners to support our military heroes in the communities we serve.”
Since 2016, the SpartanNash Foundation has raised and granted nearly $1.5 million for its patriotic partners through its fundraising scan campaigns, benefitting veterans service organizations including Give an Hour, Fisher House Foundation, Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc., Disabled Veterans National Foundation and in 2020, Team RWB, Operation Homefront and Honor and Remember.
To learn more about the SpartanNash Foundation and its impact, visit spartannash.com/foundation.
Team RWB
Every year, more than 250,000 active duty servicemembers transition out of the military, joining the 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans already living in communities nationwide. They face many challenges including isolation, weight gain, lack of purpose and other health issues.
Founded in 2010, Team RWB’s mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. Utilizing a nationwide network of chapters and an all-new mobile app, Team RWB hosts and participates in events designed to bring veterans together and engage in the communities where they live and work.
Team RWB is the bridge connecting communities – where veterans and civilians work together and gain common understanding. Team RWB takes the best of military service – the camaraderie and the physical challenges – and creates a new family of Eagles connected through physical activity.
“Team RWB is honored by and grateful for the support of the SpartanNash Foundation and all the people who donated to this campaign,” said Mike Erwin, Executive Director of Team RWB. “We’ll use the funds to grow our programs and resources that increase the health and wellness of our nation’s veterans.”
Team RWB offers resources to ensure veterans have an effective transition back into their communities and ways to engage locally. Year to date, the organization has had nearly 100,000 veterans and servicemembers check-in to events, both virtual and in-person.
For more information, visit TeamRWB.org.
Operation Homefront
Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 91 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year.
Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families.
“We are deeply grateful to receive this special gift from SpartanNash and the SpartanNash Foundation” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray, Jr., President and CEO, Operation Homefront. “Through their companywide retail scan campaign, the SpartanNash family has, once again, shown their unwavering commitment to helping us help those who have done so much for all of us when they need us most.”
Military families have been especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their financial challenges continue to mount as bills for the basics – rent, mortgage, home and car repairs, utilities, groceries and more – come due. Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program (CFA) has been there to support military families who are struggling to make ends meet – even in the midst of a crisis. SpartanNash Foundation funds support the CFA program, providing direct assistance with rent and mortgage payments, utility bills, car repairs, home repairs and groceries. Thanks to the generous support of partners such as the SpartanNash Foundation, Operation Homefront has fulfilled more than 44,000 requests for assistance, providing more than $28 million in grants since the CFA program began in 2011.
For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
Honor and Remember, Inc.
The mission of Honor and Remember is to publicly and perpetually recognize the ultimate sacrifice of America’s military fallen heroes and their families. The organization pays tribute to all military lives lost, not only while serving on active duty but also as a result of serving.
The primary vehicle for perpetual recognition is a specific and dedicated symbol of remembrance created by this organization: The Honor and Remember Flag, which is intended to fly continuously as a tangible and visible reminder to all Americans of the lives lost in defense of our national freedoms.
The flag was established as a public symbol of appreciation honoring all military lives lost while serving since our nation’s inception. Personalized flags are regularly presented to individual families of fallen service members. Each personalized flag contains the name, theater of operation and date of death of the individual. The flags are presented at both private and public occasions.
SpartanNash is a national partner and strong supporter of Honor and Remember, underwriting personal flag presentations to families of the fallen and flying the Honor and Remember flag at all company facilities. The flag artwork is also displayed on SpartanNash’s fleet of tractor trailers, which travel more than 50 million miles per year.
“SpartanNash has once again successfully completed an incredible two-week scan of honor,” said George Lutz, who founded Honor and Remember after losing his son in Iraq in 2005. “Together with associates and customers, there has been a full circle of tribute recognizing both the veteran community and fallen hero families. We are so appreciative of being included in this opportunity to share our legacy of remembrance, and we look forward to sending a message to hundreds of additional families whose loved ones have given the ultimate sacrifice. SpartanNash is a true corporate leader that stands up and makes a difference in every community it serves.”
Through its partnership with the SpartanNash Foundation, Honor and Remember honored more than more than 200 families who have lost a loved one through military service with personalized Honor and Remember flags in 2019.
For more information, go to HonorandRemember.org.
One hundred percent of donations raised during the 2020 patriotic fundraising scan campaign will go directly to Team RWB, Operation Homefront and Honor and Remember as they support military heroes, veterans and their families by connecting them to their local communities through physical and social activity, providing critical financial assistance and family support services and honoring those who lost their lives defending our freedoms. SpartanNash underwrites the cost of the awareness-building and fundraising campaign as well as contributes funding and encourages associates to volunteer with the Foundation’s grant recipients.
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About the SpartanNash Foundation
The SpartanNash Foundation was formed in 2015 and is the charitable giving arm of SpartanNash. It is focused on providing financial support to nonprofit partners who align with its mission to end hunger, provide shelter and support our military heroes. With a combined total legacy of more than 100 years, the SpartanNash Foundation represents the best of its predecessors, the NFC Foundation and the Spartan Stores Foundation. The SpartanNash Foundation is a Michigan nonprofit corporation and is tax exempt under IRC 501(c)3. It is a non-operating private foundation. To learn more about the SpartanNash Foundation, visit spartannash.com/foundation.
About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a Fortune 400 company whose core businesses include distributing grocery products to a diverse group of independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges; as well as operating a premier fresh produce distribution network. SpartanNash serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Bahrain, Djibouti and Egypt. SpartanNash currently operates 155 supermarkets, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery and Dan’s Supermarket. Through its MDV military division, SpartanNash is a leading distributor of grocery products to U.S. military commissaries.