America's Second Harvest
Leading the Fight to End Hunger in America
For more than 25 years, The Kroger Co. has helped lead the fight against hunger in the United States. In the past five years, the Company has donated more than 135 million pounds of food and groceries - valued at more than $200 million - to food banks across the country. In 2007, Kroger was selected "Retailer of the Year" by America’s Second Harvest, the fifth time in seven years the Company has received the award.
- Kroger is one of the founding members of America’s Second Harvest (A2H), the nation’s largest hunger relief organization. In 2006, Kroger contributed 30 million pounds of food and other product – valued at $45 million – to A2H, to feed hungry families in the communities we serve.
- All of our regional grocery divisions work closely with more than 200 local hunger relief agencies, including 85 local food banks that are members of the Second Harvest network. These food banks provide food and other personal items to pantries, soup kitchens and feeding programs for children and seniors.
- Kroger’s recently launched Perishable Donations Partnership will bring critically needed perishable food items into the food bank process. The company-wide program will increase the number of stores in the Kroger family that donate safe, perishable food to Second Harvest food banks that are equipped to safely handle and distribute fresh food. Kroger’s goal is to donate 50 million pounds of nutritious, fresh food across the country through the Perishable Donations Partnership.
- Kroger executives serve on the boards of local food banks and the A2H national organization.
Our close partnership with food banks means we understand their needs very well and work with them
to improve their operations.
- In 2006, Kroger launched “Bringing Hope to the Table,” a cause-marketing partnership with
Second Harvest that brings our vendors and customers into the process of fighting hunger in the
communities we call home. In it's first two years, the program generated $6 million in cash and $2 millin in product to assist local food banks.
- The Kroger Co. Foundation provides grants to local food banks. These grants help food banks
purchase trucks and refrigeration equipment, buy new computers to improve their logistics
operations and fund new projects.
- Local food banks in the Second Harvest network have honored Kroger for its support, naming us Retailer of the Year for five of the last seven years. We cherish this honor because nominations come from local agencies – the food banks that partner with the Kroger family of stores on an ongoing basis to feed hungry families.