SpartanNash Foundation Launches Fundraising to Support Military Heroes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
CONTACT:
Meredith Gremel, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications, SpartanNash, 616-878-2830
SpartanNash Foundation launches companywide fundraising effort to support military heroes
Scan campaign at stores, fuel centers in Minnesota, Ohio and Michigan’s central, southern Lower Peninsula will benefit Honor and Remember and Blue Star Mothers of America
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – To coincide with the Fourth of July weekend, SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is launching its first-ever companywide fundraising campaign to support military heroes. The scan begins on June 22 and will run through July 4.
During the 13-day span, nearly 100 SpartanNash-owned retail stores and fuel centers in Minnesota, Ohio and Michigan’s central and southern Lower Peninsula will invite customers to donate $1, $5 or $10 at any checkout lane. When customers make a donation, they will receive four coupons toward Spartan® or Our Family ® brand products.
One hundred percent of all funds raised during the patriotic scan campaign will go directly to non-profit organizations that support military heroes, veterans and those who paid the ultimate price. SpartanNash underwrites the cost to run the scan campaign as well as contributes funding and encourages associates to volunteer with the Foundation’s grant recipients.
Fundraising dollars will be evenly split between Honor and Remember – a national non-profit working to create and promote a nationally recognized flag to honor all fallen servicemen and servicewomen – and Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. to provide support to those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and our veterans, honor those families whose children have died in service to our country and assist in the care of unsupported mothers who gave their children to the service of our nation.
“Patriotism is one of our company’s core values, and SpartanNash is excited to support our nation’s military and veterans,” said Meredith Gremel, vice president of corporate affairs and communications and executive director of the SpartanNash Foundation. “SpartanNash is the leading food distributor to U.S. military commissaries and exchanges in the world, and this patriotic scan is one more way we can support the men and women who have served or are currently serving our country.
“The organizations we’ve partnered with have an established history of using their donation dollars wisely and delivering services and support in the communities we serve together. With this patriotic scan, it was important to the SpartanNash Foundation that we make an impactful difference in the lives of servicemen and women, veterans and their families right where they live and work.”
Stores will also host additional fundraising activities June 22-July 4 to benefit their two community partners.
“Honor and Remember is excited to partner with SpartanNash Foundation and its customers to give back to the families of the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation,” said George Lutz, who founded Honor and Remember after losing his son in Iraq in 2005. “The generosity of SpartanNash shoppers will allow us to support our Gold Star families and let them know they are not alone. Equally important, our goal is to fly the flag below the American flag and alongside the MIA/POW flag across our nation, so the public never forgets our fallen heroes.”
Participating SpartanNash store banners include:
· D&W Fresh Market
· Dillonvale IGA
· Econofoods
· Family Fare Supermarket
· Family Fresh Market
· Forest Hills Foods
· Germantown Fresh Market
· Pick’n Save
· Scofield Drug and Gift
· Sunmart
· The Market Wine and Spirits
· Valu Land
· VG’s
A complete list of locations participating in the companywide scan campaign and the organizations they are partnering with to support military heroes is available at SpartanNash.com/militaryheroes/.
“Through this scan campaign and the generous spirit of SpartanNash customers, Blue Star Mothers of America will be able to continue supporting our veterans, our wounded warriors and our men and women who serve our country today,” said Judy Dorsey, national president of Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.
The patriotic scan is the third of five scan campaigns the SpartanNash Foundation will execute in 2016. To date, nearly $350,000 has been raised for local Habitat for Humanity and Special Olympics partners.
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About the SpartanNash Foundation
The SpartanNash Foundation was formed in 2013 following the merger of the Nash Finch Company and Spartan Stores. It represents the best of the NFC Foundation and the Spartan Stores Foundation. The SpartanNash Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SpartanNash and is focused on providing grants to non-profit community partners who are working to end hunger, provide shelter and support our military heroes. To learn more about the SpartanNash Foundation, visit https://www.spartannash.com/corp-responsibility/foundation/.
About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a Fortune 400 company and the leading food distributor serving U.S. military commissaries and exchanges in the world, in terms of revenue. The Company’s core businesses include distributing food to military commissaries and exchanges and independent and corporate-owned retail stores located in 47 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahrain and Egypt. SpartanNash currently operates 160 supermarkets, primarily under the banners of Family Fare Supermarkets, Family Fresh Markets, D&W Fresh Markets, Econofoods and SunMart.
About the Honor and Remember Flag
The Honor and Remember Flag was unveiled at a ceremony on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008. The mission of Honor and Remember is to create, establish and promote a nationally recognized flag that will fly continuously as a visible reminder to all Americans of the lives lost in defense of our national freedoms. The flag is meant to be a public symbol of appreciation that honors 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. Honor and Remember, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more information, please visit www.honorandremember.org.
About the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc.
We are mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians who have children serving in the military, guard or reserves, or children who are veterans. We support each other and our children while promoting patriotism. Our organization focuses on our mission every single day and will never, ever, forsake our troops, our veterans or the families of our Fallen Heroes. We have over 6,000 members from over 200 Chapters throughout the nation. www.bluestarmothers.org/
