Giant Food’s Local Artist Bags Benefit Communities

Giant Food’s Local Artist Bags from L to R: The D.C. Artist Bag designed by Marcella Kriebel, the Virginia Artist Bag designed by Grace Manno and Dashiell Kirk, the Maryland Artist Bag designed by Ann Gill and the Delaware Artist Bag designed by Brad Almond.

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C., regional grocery chain, has teamed up with four artists from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, to create reusable bags that represent each artist’s local community. As part of Giant’s Community Bag Program, for every $2.75 reusable bag purchased, Giant donates $1 donated to a local nonprofit. Throughout the month of May, each of the artists chose a local nonprofit to receive the donations.

“With the help of our customers, we’ve achieved significant accomplishments through our Community Bag Program, including saving over 585,000 single plastic bags and helping over 1,700 non-profit organizations last year alone,” said Felis Andrade, Director External Communications and Community Relations of Giant Food. “We’re excited to spotlight local artists whose creative designs celebrate the core of Maryland, D.C., Virginia and Delaware while also supporting the local charities that mean the most to them.”

In 2019, Giant Food launched its Community Bag Program, which is designed to empower customers to support local nonprofit organizations while working to reduce single-use paper and plastic waste in the environment. To date, Giant and its customers have raised over $580K and provided 684,990 meals to 1,748 different non-profit organizations and 405 hunger organizations through the program.

This month, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware stores will each carry their very own reusable bags created by their state’s local artist. The artists and their chosen benefiting nonprofits include:

• Marcella Kriebel: Marcella is a watercolorist, muralist and the author and illustrator of two cookbooks, “Mi Comida Latino” and “Comida Cubana.” She is known for her vibrant artwork that celebrates the world through food and culture. Marcella designed the D.C. bag which will benefit the D.C. Central Kitchen.
• Ann Gill: Ann is a local artist based in Hyattsville, Maryland. Born in Washington, D.C., her family roots run deep in the region. She has been creating art since she was a child, and her work is influenced by street pop art. Ann designed the Maryland bag with proceeds benefiting Words, Beats and Life Inc.
• Grace Manno and Dashiell Kirk: Grace and Dashiell are two artists who formed FOND Collective based in Richmond, Virginia. Some of their favorite mediums include illustration, print design, animation and sculpture. Together, Grace and Dashiell designed the Virgnia bag and chose Our Stomping Ground as the benefiting organization.
• Brad Almond: Brad is a graphic designer, illustrator and part-time musician. He resides in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife, two children and their cat. Brad grew up fascinated by the colorful, stylized worlds of film, video games and cartoon shows. He designed the Delaware bag and chose Urban Promise Wilmington as the benefiting organization.

Customers can purchase their Local Artist Community Bag at any Giant store. For more information, please visit: https://giantfood.2givelocal.com/program/community-bag/

Since opening its first location over 88 years ago in Washington, D.C., in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research, and Social Equality.

Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md., and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 154 full-service pharmacies and 28 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the ways today’s busy customers want to shop – in-store or online. With 162 Giant Pickup locations and delivery options available in all of its markets, customers have even more convenient options at their fingertips to get the best products and prices whenever and however they choose.

For more information on Giant Food and its charitable efforts to make a positive difference, visit giantfood.com/pages/better-neighbor-report.

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