Supermarket Perimeter - March 2020 - 14

Retailers ﬁeld hundreds of requests each year for donations and partnerships. The application process varies for each, but most companies
are only able to accept requests from registered 501c3 non-proﬁt organizations with a federal Employer Identiﬁcation Number. For retailers such
as GIANT, the review process can take up to eight weeks to process.

Fighting hunger
In addition to partnerships with national and local nonproﬁts, some
companies focus effort on their internal cause-related goals. Cincinnati-based Kroger's Zero Hunger, Zero Waste social impact plan, which
14 - MARCH 2020

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KROGER

Partnerships with nonproﬁt organizations
help companies raise money and awareness
and, in return, this charitable action generates
more business for the company. Programs
such as Kroger's Zero Waste.

launched in 2017, is a commitment to end hunger in the communities
they serve and eliminate waste across the company by 2025.
"Zero Hunger, Zero Waste is shaping the national discussion around
how to end hunger and eliminate waste across America," says Keith
Dailey, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs. "We are intently focused on using our scale for good and we encourage our customers, associates and other businesses to join us."
As part of its mission, Kroger donated $328 million to local communities in 2018, including more than $192 million in food and funds to end
hunger and provided a total of 316 million meals to communities across
the country. Kroger also partnered with Oprah Winfrey to donate one
million meals to Feeding America. Together with Winfrey's food line O,
That's Good!, Kroger pledged an additional one million meals to Feeding
America to help feed families across the country.
Last year, Kroger was named sixth on Fortune magazine's Change the
World 2018 list, joining 50 big companies around the world that are also
using their resources to solve society's most complex issues.
Not all causes come in the form of straight donations. Retailers are
always looking for new ways to engage their customers in their giving
efforts. Barons' Backroom Beer Pairing event has raised over $100,000
for local organizations. The company partners with a local craft brewery to create a simple but delicious menu that pairs with their beers.
Barons charges $15 per ticket and typically has anywhere from 60 to
100 people attend the event.
"100% of the ticket price goes to the local charity. Not only can our
customers try a new local beer and taste some of our unique offerings,
they can have a great night out with their neighbors all while supporting an organization," says Shemirani. "We hold this event four times a
year and our customers just love it."
In an era of social responsibility, customers want to know that the
places where they spend their money share their desire to make the
community and world a better place by supporting an important cause.
"If you say you're a neighborhood market, you must be an active
participant in your community," says Shemirani. "When local businesses
are active in their neighborhoods, the community thrives. And when a
community thrives, everyone wins."

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Supermarket Perimeter - March 2020

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