SUPERVALU Foundation Supports Hunger Relief with $1 Million in Donations

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.--()--SUPERVALU INC. (NYSE: SVU) today announced that the SUPERVALU Foundation will donate $1 million to 34 nonprofits that provide hunger and food-related relief to those in need in local communities across the country.

The $1 million in donations will benefit local communities in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Recipient organizations include local food bank affiliates of Feeding America, local members of Meals on Wheels America, local urban garden programs and meal programs at local emergency shelters, among others.

“Too many people in the United States today experience food insecurity,” said SUPERVALU President and CEO Mark Gross. “Today’s donations provide needed funding to help feed our communities, which is part of our company's mission, and is an important contribution to the efforts to address hunger relief.”

The SUPERVALU Foundation was established in 1993 to effect positive change in communities where SUPERVALU operates and serves. Hunger relief and nutrition programming are key focuses of the Foundation. In addition to today’s $1 million in cash donations from the Foundation, SUPERVALU has continued its giving to local and regional nonprofits, including Feeding America affiliates in the form of food to create meals for families across the country.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 13 percent of American households were estimated to be food insecure in 2015, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. An estimated one in six American children are food insecure, and seniors represent the fastest growing food-insecure population.

Donation recipients
Following is a list of the organizations, their grant amounts and their focus by state:

  • Minnesota: $260,000, representing CUB employees and employees who work in SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business and corporate offices
    • The Aliveness Project ($50,000): Provides meals to Twin Cities’ residents suffering from HIV/AIDS.
    • The Bridge for Youth ($50,000): Supports meals for local youth temporarily housed at the Bridge for Youth emergency shelter.
    • Urban Roots ($50,000): Provides urban farming and nutritional cooking classes for youth on St. Paul’s East Side.
    • Youth Farm ($50,000): Provides urban farming for youth in Twin Cities’ neighborhoods.
    • Matter ($40,000): Distributes meals to families in Twin Cities’ communities experiencing food insecurity.
    • Cornerstone ($20,000): Supports meals for individuals and families temporarily housed at the Cornerstone Emergency Shelter for victims of domestic violence in the Twin Cities.
  • Virginia: $130,000, representing Farm Fresh and SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business
    • Virginia Peninsula Foodbank ($70,000): Supports the food bank’s Mobile Food Pantry and Kids’ Café in the Hampton Roads area.
    • Feed More Community Kitchen ($40,000): Provides meals for Meals on Wheels, summer children’s feeding programs, adult day care centers and Kids’ Café in the Richmond area.
    • Health Brigade ($20,000): Helps individuals with chronic diseases gain access to nutritious foods through the organization’s “food pharmacy” for low-income patients in the Richmond area.
  • Missouri: $110,000, representing Shop ‘n Save and SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business
    • St. Louis Crisis Nursery ($70,000): Provides emergency services, meals and short-term care for families in need.
    • Nurses for Newborns ($40,000): Provides at-risk families with services and resources to prevent infant mortality.
  • North Dakota: $80,000, representing Hornbacher’s and SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business
    • Great Plains Food Bank ($50,000): Supports the food bank’s backpack program for children facing summer food insecurity in Fargo and Grand Forks.
    • Emergency Food Pantry ($15,000): Provides food and grocery products to people in need in Cass and Clay counties.
    • Bismarck Emergency Food Pantry ($15,000): Division of the Great Plains Food Bank of North Dakota, providing food to those in need in the Bismarck area.
  • Pennsylvania: $80,000, representing SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business
    • Grow Pittsburgh ($40,000): Supports the organization’s community gardens that help provide fresh fruits and vegetables to local families.
    • Meals on Wheels Lancaster ($40,000): Provides daily meals to seniors and homebound individuals in the Lancaster area.
  • Washington, D.C.: $70,000, representing SHOPPERS Food & Pharmacy
    • Food & Friends ($70,000): Delivers free meals to area residents suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
  • Illinois: $55,000, representing SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business and corporate shared services group
    • Illinois Valley Food Pantry ($20,000): Local affiliate of Feeding America food bank.
    • Salt & Light ($20,000): Local Champaign food co-op where people without resources can “earn” food dollars by volunteering on site.
    • Leyden Family Service Food Pantry ($15,000): Provides emergency groceries for families in distress in the Franklin Park area.
  • Colorado: $55,000, representing SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business and national call center
    • Silver Key Meals on Wheels ($20,000): Provides home-delivered meals to seniors in the Colorado Springs area.
    • Project Angel Heart ($20,000): Delivers free meals to Denver area residents suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
    • Denver Rescue Mission ($15,000): Provides meals, shelter and emergency services for Denver’s homeless men, women and children.
  • Wisconsin: $35,000, representing SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business
    • Paul’s Pantry ($20,000): Food bank serving those in need in Green Bay and Brown County.
    • Women & Children’s Horizons ($15,000): Provides meals and emergency shelter and services for abused women and their children in the Kenosha area.
  • Indiana: $20,000, representing SUPERVALU’s wholesale distribution business
    • Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana ($20,000): Local affiliate of Feeding America.
  • Other communities receiving donations representing SUPERVALU’s corporate and wholesale distribution business include:
    • Boise, Idaho: $20,000 to the Idaho Food Bank, the local affiliate of Feeding America.
    • Tacoma, Wash.: $20,000 to Food Lifeline, a food rescue and hunger relief organization for 17 western Washington counties.
    • Billings, Mont.: $15,000 to the Tumbleweed Runaway Program, which provides meals and support services for area youth living on the streets.
    • Anniston, Ala.: $15,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of East Central Alabama, to help fund healthy, after-school snacks at the organization’s drop-in center.
    • Quincy, Fla.: $15,000 to America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend, the local Feeding America affiliate.
    • Lithia Springs, Ga.: $15,000 to Lifeline Mission, which addresses hunger issues in the area.
    • Phoenix, Ari.: $15,000 to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, a local food bank.
    • Indianola, Miss.: $15,000 to Delta Health Alliance, supporting nutrition initiatives and fresh food access in the area.

About SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest grocery wholesalers and retailers in the U.S. with annual sales of approximately $13 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of 2,067 stores, composed of 1,850 stores operated by wholesale customers serviced primarily by the Company’s food distribution business, 195 traditional retail grocery stores operated under five retail banners, and 22 stores operated under the Shop 'N Save name in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia (store counts as of December 3, 2016). Headquartered in Minnesota, SUPERVALU has approximately 30,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU, visit www.supervalu.com.

Contacts

SUPERVALU
Mike Wilken, 952-828-4558
michael.c.wilken@supervalu.com

Release Summary

The SUPERVALU Foundation will donate $1 million to 34 nonprofits that provide hunger and food-related relief to those in need in local communities across the country.

Contacts

SUPERVALU
Mike Wilken, 952-828-4558
michael.c.wilken@supervalu.com