FOXBORO and WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass., - December 15, 2010 - The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation and Shaw's Supermarkets, part of the nationwide SUPERVALU® (NYSE: SVU) family of grocery stores, today announced a donation of $234,502.33 to area food banks to support children's feeding programs including Patriots Kids Cafes.
The donation results from the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation and Shaw's Scan Campaign, a joint fundraising effort in all Shaw's and Star Markets from Oct. 15 to Nov. 6, 2010. Since the launch of the joint campaign in 2007, the Patriots Charitable Foundation and Shaw's have donated $1,324,603 to fight hunger.
The 2010 donation will be celebrated with an on-field pregame check presentation prior to the Dec. 19, 2010 game between the Patriots and the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium.
"We're proud of our long-standing partnership with Shaw's, especially when we are able to work together to provide much-needed food for local families who are struggling," Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. "It's one of the primary missions of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation to support youth and families in New England, and this effort is a big part of that."
Among the beneficiaries of the campaign are the Patriot's Kids Cafes, which provide 6,750 meals per week at local Boys & Girls Clubs to youth who may not receive them at home.
"The current number of people in need of food relief is tremendous and that need takes an extra level of urgency when you realize the number of children who are going hungry," said Larry Wahlstrom, president, Shaw's. "The initiative to help fight hunger is a very important one to both Shaw's and our customers, and we would like to thank all of those who made this donation to the food banks possible. The generosity of our customers will help ensure kids are getting the nutrition they need."
The number of people seeking food assistance continues to rise. In fact, according to the recent Household Food Insecurity survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a total 50.2 million Americans, including nearly 17.2 million children, are food insecure.
The $234,502.33 was raised thanks to Shaw's associates and customers purchasing $1 and $5 paper football helmets in all store locations. In addition to Patriots Kids Cafes, the donation will support food banks throughout New England including the Greater Boston Food Bank, New Hampshire Food Bank, Vermont Food Bank, Rhode Island Food Bank, Worcester County Food Bank, and the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine.
ABOUT PATRIOTS KIDS CAFES
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation has partnered with The Greater Boston Food Bank to establish Patriots Kids Cafes at area Boys & Girls Clubs. Patriots Kids Cafes provide hot meals for youth who may not receive them at home. Patriots Kids Cafes currently provide children with 6,750 meals per week at seven different locations: The West End House Boys & Girls Club, Chelsea/Gerald and Darlene Jordan Club, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, The Blue Hill Club - George Robert White Youth Development Center in Dorchester, The Yawkey Club of Roxbury, Charlestown Club Keane Children's Center/Ansin Youth Center and South Boston Boys & Girls Club. The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's primary goal is to support programs that aid the youth and families of the New England region by assisting programs that foster cultural diversity, education, family and health & fitness.
ABOUT SHAW'S SUPERMARKETS
Shaw's, Osco and Star Market are a division of SUPERVALU INC. Shaw's is one of the oldest continuously operated supermarkets in the United States with its roots dating to 1860. Throughout five New England states, there are 174 store locations employing approximately 25,000 associates. For more information about Shaw's, visit www.shaws.com.
ABOUT SUPERVALU INC.
SUPERVALU INC. is one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery channel with estimated annual sales of $38 billion. SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of approximately 4,270 stores composed of approximately 1,160 traditional retail stores, including 820 in-store pharmacies; 1,190 hard-discount stores, of which 870 are operated by licensee owners; and 1,920 independent stores serviced primarily by the company's traditional food distribution business. SUPERVALU has approximately 154,000 employees. For more information about SUPERVALU visit www.supervalu.com.
