Summer Hunger-Fighting Efforts Provide Families with the Nourishment they Need to Support Healthy Childhood Development

Price Rite Marketplace teamed up with anti-hunger organization Feed the Children and event partners Tyson and the Massachusetts Division of The Salvation Army to distribute food and essentials to families in need in the greater Seekonk area on July 26. The community event at Price Rite Marketplace of Seekonk, located at 140 Taunton Avenue, served approximately 800 families while focusing on nutrition and children as part of the Feeding Minds & Bodies Campaign.

Each family, pre-identified by the Massachusetts Division of The Salvation Army, received a 25-pound box of food; 10-pound box of essentials like shampoo, conditioner, lotion and personal-care items; additional food such as fresh produce and shelf-stable items provided by Price Rite Marketplace, and children’s books for summer reading. Jim Dorey and Chris Farran, president and senior vice president, respectively, of Price Rite Marketplace, were onsite to welcome families and thank volunteers that helped make the event possible.

“Our team is passionate about fighting hunger and helping people in need, and we are honored to partner with Feed the Children once again to help combat food insecurity,” said Dorey. “Supporting the local communities we serve is a top priority for us, and we are proud of our team’s continued commitment to helping those in need.”

Fighting hunger is at the heart of Price Rite Marketplace’s charitable giving and, paired with Feed the Children’s vision to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry, the two launched an initiative to mark the fourth year of their partnership, Price Rite Marketplace: Feeding Minds & Bodies. The initiative this year is designed to help bring attention to and fight the serious issue of childhood hunger. Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children will host eight events in 2018 to tackle seasonal issues such as food insecurity during the summer months and holidays.

With a focus on summer hunger, the aim of the event for the greater Seekonk community was to provide healthy items, including food and books, for children and to emphasize the reality that hunger doesn’t take a vacation. Summer is often a season of hunger for the more than 14 million children nationwide who rely on school breakfast and lunch programs. When school is out, many of these kids are left without a reliable source for their daily meals.

“The event in Seekonk and the partnership with Price Rite Marketplace were designed with the goal of providing food and essentials to families in need—but also hope,” said Travis Arnold, Feed the Children president and CEO. “Hope for a better future that is made possible thanks to our partners at Price Rite who play a vital role in helping us to work towards a world where no child goes to bed hungry.”

Since the beginning of its partnership with Feed the Children, Price Rite Marketplace has contributed more than 1.1 million pounds of food, totaling approximately $6 million in gift-in-kind donations.

About Price Rite Marketplace
Price Rite Marketplace is a registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. Price Rite Marketplace opened its first store in 1995 under the name Price Rite Supermarkets, and currently operates 66 grocery stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland and Virginia. Committed to providing the best value for customers, Price Rite Marketplace delivers a simplified shopping experience with top name brand foods and products and expanded fresh produce and organic offerings at exceptional prices. Price Rite Marketplace is also dedicated to fighting hunger through its annual Check-Out Hunger fundraising campaign and partnerships with Feed the Children and local food banks. For more information, please visit www.priceritesupermarkets.com.

About Feed the Children
Established in 1979, Feed the Children exists to defeat childhood hunger. It is one of the largest U.S.-based charities and serves those in need in the U.S. and in 10 countries around the world. It provides food, education initiatives, essentials and disaster response. It operates five distribution centers located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

In fiscal year 2017, Feed the Children distributed 79.8 million pounds of food and essentials to children and families in the U.S. Internationally, it provided nutritious food or other benefits to 1,080,000 children, empowered 291,000 parents to make better decisions for their children, and positively impacted more than 1,200 communities and schools in 10 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. It is accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Visit feedthechildren.org for more information.