Manna’s Market is proud to announce a partnership with Meijer to provide much-needed relief to local families facing food insecurity through the retailer’s customer-driven hunger relief program, Simply Give.
Our community continues to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As uncertainty around guidelines and wage disruptions continue to place extreme pressure on low-income families, food pantries are seeing a rapid increase in demand in their communities.
Each Meijer Simply Give campaign replenishes the shelves of more than 250 food pantries in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The program encourages customers to purchase $10 Simply Give donation cards, which are then converted into Meijer food-only gift cards and given to a local food pantry in the store’s community.
Manna’s Market will benefit from donation cards purchased at the Grand Ledge Meijer store now through April 10. In addition, Meijer will double match any cards purchased on Saturday, March 13, and Saturday, April 3, effectively tripling contributions made on those days. Meijer customers shopping online using Meijer pickup or home delivery can also purchase Simply Give donation cards as an add-on to their orders.
“The events of this year have taught us all the importance of community members supporting each other,” said Jayne Flanigan, Secretary/Treasurer and Co-Founder of Manna’s Market. “We encourage community members to help us feed their neighbors facing food insecurity in our community this winter by purchasing a Meijer Simply Give food donation card during their next shopping trip to the Grand Ledge Meijer .”
In light of increased need resulting from COVID-19, Meijer donated more than $7.6 million to Simply Give food pantry partners in 2020. Since the program began in November 2008, more than $61 million has been generated for food pantries in the Midwest to distribute to our neighbors in need.
“The winter months are a difficult time for people facing food insecurity and food pantries continue to struggle to keep up with the flood of requests they receive daily, especially given the difficult circumstances many families now face amidst the global pandemic,” said Cathy Cooper, Senior Director of Community Partnerships and Giving for Meijer. “The Simply Give program is a way for Meijer customers to partner with us and support the food banks and pantries that feed families in need in their own communities. We certainly couldn’t do it without the support and commitment of our generous customers and team members, who stand beside us in this effort.”
