SEG Donates $160K to Southeast Food Banks
Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, has donated $160,000 to eight Southeast food banks to help combat food insecurity among families during the summer months.
According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 children across the United States may experience food insecurity and millions of children count on school meal programs to provide their daily nutrition. However, during the summer break, many children worry about where their next meal will come from as they lose access to these crucial programs while school is not in session.
Raymond Rhee, chief people officer for Southeastern Grocers, said, “With children at home during the summer months, the struggle to put enough food on the table for many families is often magnified. Through our donations to local food banks and our ongoing community hunger-relief initiatives, we are proud to support the tireless work of our regional partners to bridge the nutrition gap for our neighbors in need. We are dedicated to providing families with the nourishing food they need for a healthy life, and we remain committed to strengthening the communities we serve – today and every day.”
The five states SEG serves, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, rank in the top 20 for highest child poverty rates in the country, with three states falling within the top ten2. With these somber rankings further highlighting the critical need, SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation are steadfast in their commitment to support organizations that alleviate the burden on families in local communities. The following local food banks will each receive $20,000 to help fight hunger this summer:
Brighter Bites – Southwest Florida
Community Food Bank of Central Alabama
Feeding Northeast Florida
Feeding South Florida
Feeding Tampa Bay
Feeding the Gulf Coast
Food Bank of Greater Baton Rouge
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
The grocer continues to support neighbors in need throughout the year by giving back to local initiatives working to nurture underserved communities. Last month, the grocer donated $20,000 in groceries and vital funds to New Orleans Community Fridges, a local mutual aid effort to provide free food to community members in need. SEG is also partnering with Pie in the Sky Community Alliance, through the end of the year, to deliver 100 cartons of fresh eggs each month to more than 550 seniors in St. Johns County, Fla. In 2022, SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation donated more than $700,000 and 14 million pounds of food to organizations combating hunger throughout the Southeast, including Feeding America network food banks.
Additionally, with inflationary pressures continuing to affect people across the country, SEG is committed to helping every customer save on their grocery bills. In addition to shopping weekly specials, customers can maximize savings by using the grocer’s loyalty program with the Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie apps. The rewards program offers additional winning deals, digital coupons and points that can be redeemed for money off groceries. The program also provides points multipliers and personalized rewards offers as well as the grocer’s new Big App Deal, which allows customers to score a free item or bonus points. Through July 18, shoppers who activate the Big App Deal within the app will earn $5 in rewards points when purchasing SE Grocers Ground Coffee.
SEG also lowers prices on more than 150 commonly shopped items each season to help customers stretch their grocery budget year-round. Through the grocer’s “Down Down” program in Winn-Dixie stores, customers can save more than 15 percent on average at their neighborhood store when shopping items marked by the red hand on signs and tags throughout the store. Similarly, items marked in yellow and green signage at Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket are part of the “Low Price” and “Low Low Price” programs providing customers with deep discounts on their family’s grocery trip.
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Midwest Dairy Sets Cheers for Cherries as Fair Flavor
After weeks of anticipation and enthusiastic participation from ice cream lovers across Minnesota, Midwest Dairy is thrilled to announce Cheers for Cherries is the triumphant flavor of the 2023 Flavor of the Fair contest. Cheers for Cherries will be available for all to enjoy exclusively at the Dairy Goodness Bar in the Dairy Building at the Minnesota State Fair, Aug. 24-Sept. 4. Cookie Time and Churro Your Way were close contenders.
“Cheers for Cherries truly embodies the essence of the dairy goodness and environmental friendliness Midwest Dairy farm families work to provide,” said Liz Stiras, marketing and communications manager for Midwest Dairy. “We are thrilled to showcase Cheers for Cherries as the official Flavor of the Fair to celebrate Minnesota and the dairy community at this year’s State Fair.”
Cheers for Cherries will be served as a sundae or malt and comes with cherries and a decadent drizzle of dark chocolate on top. The flavor now joins the esteemed lineage of past Flavor of the Fair winners, including Key Lime Crumble in 2022, You Betcha Berry in 2020, Birthday Batter Blast in 2019, That’s S’More Like It in 2018, Pie in the Sky in 2017, Call it Breakfast in 2016, and Salted Caramel Puff in 2015.
Midwest Dairy farmers are committed to making high quality dairy products with nutritional benefits in the most sustainable way possible, which why they have committed to reducing food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Most ingredients in the Flavor of the Fair ice creams come from Minnesota-based farms.
Midwest Dairy would like to thank everyone who voted and made the 10th annual contest a success. In just two months fair attendees can indulge in this delectable treat and create cherished memories at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
Midwest Dairy represents 4,800 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to Bringing Dairy to Life! by Giving Consumers an Excellent Dairy Experience and are funded by farmers across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com, and follow us Facebook and YouTube.
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US Foods Completes Renzi Foodservice Acquisition
US Foods Holding Corp. has successfully completed the previously announced acquisition of Renzi Foodservice, a broadline distributor located in Watertown, N.Y. The transaction closed July 7. The acquisition enables US Foods to further expand its reach into central upstate New York where the company does not have a distribution center.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. To learn more about the Renzi Foodservice acquisition, please view the company’s May 19, 2023 press release announcement here.
US Foods is one of America’s largest food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 70 broadline locations and more than 85 cash and carry stores, US Foods and its 29,000 associates provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill.
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