While there’s light at the end of the tunnel and we’re pleased to be doing our part to vaccinate our communities against the spread of COVID-19, we recognize the toll this pandemic continues to take on those facing food insecurity across the Midwest. That’s why we decided to make an additional $1 million donation to our Simply Give food pantry partners in addition to the $7.6 million the program generated in 2020.
The donation will be divided equally among all our 2020 participating food pantries. We were so excited to get to surprise our pantry partners with this extra donation. Here are a few of their responses:
“You are all just incredible. You are incredibly compassionate, kind and generous. You are a model of community engagement to the business community. Thank you for allowing us to be the middle people, carrying out your care to people in need.”
-John, Hosanna! Food Pantry
St. Charles, Ill.
“Wow! This is wonderful news! We know only too well the impact that COVID-19 is having on our families that were already struggling even before the pandemic. These extra gift cards for our pantry will be a big help.”
-Claire, North Kent Connect
Grand Rapids, Mich.
“Oh my goodness, this is crazy and great all at the same time. What a huge blessing. Just yesterday was our Food Pantry and we had 26 people come, and it fed a total of 77 persons of all ages. This is exciting news to share with our church family and our Food Pantry Committee! Thank you for this extra Blessing!”
-Darla, Gasburg Baptist Church
Mooresville, Ind.
“Thank you all so very much. I cannot begin to tell you how much our partnership with Meijer means to our ministry to feed, care for and love the families we serve!”
-Steve, Mount Pleasant Christian Church
Greenwood, Ind.
“Thank you. Meijer is the best. We appreciate your extra and ongoing support and very much enjoy working with Brian Lach’s team at [store] #228-Rolling Meadows, IL. They are all very helpful and supportive. We post on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) all of time about the Simply Give program and we educate as many people as possible about it. We are celebrating our one-year anniversary in our new location that includes a much larger food pantry than we previously had. This one is set-up as a Client’s Choice Pantry. We love to show it off to all our visitors. Our Food Pantry usage is up 41.7% from 2019 vs. 2020 and believe the increasing trend will continue after more people are vaccinated and feel more at ease going out in public.”
-Paul, Elk Grove Township Food Pantry
Elk Grove, Ill.