The economic downturn has impacted all of our communities. While donation is not a sustainable long-term strategy, sometimes it is the most needed and can have an immediate and significant impact. Our ideal approach is to build local partnerships to best respond to local needs through a combination of strategies, such as corporate giving, board leadership and associate engagement.
Partnering to meet community needs in the U.S.
During the financial crisis in the U.S., Feeding America, the country’s largest domestic hunger charity, found a 46% increase in need since 2006 and Delhaize America has responded to this change in need.
At the individual store level, donations to food banks have increased through programs such as the Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger or Food Lion Hunger Has a Cure campaigns. At the banner level, partnerships with organizations, such as the Feeding America network, ensures that food still fit for consumption but unable to be sold is distributed to those who need it most. In total, Delhaize America has given direct food donations of approximately 20 thousand tonnes, the equivalent of 34.5 million meals, through various events and partnerships.
It also donated close to USD 500 000 to Feeding America in 2010. Further examples of initiatives, campaigns and partnerships from Delhaize America can be found here.
What do our stakeholders think about it?
As a leading national partner of Feeding America, Delhaize America is firmly committed to alleviating hunger and promoting nutrition education in communities where we have operations. Joining forces with the Feeding America network has allowed us to scale up our efforts and increase our donations of nutritious meals. Since 2002, as a group the seven individual banners of Delhaize America have collectively donated 272 million pounds of food to hungry people, including many children and senior citizens.
Bill Garcia, Community Relations Manager for Delhaize America
Responding to disasters, cancer, and malnutrition in Indonesia
Super Indo is active in responding to Indonesia’s challenges through food donations and funds to support victims of disasters.
In 2010, Indonesia suffered a number of natural disasters, including the Merapi volcano eruption and the Mentawai tsunami. These events killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands without homes. Super Indo contributed relief funds to help the victims, donated basic need products to two refugee camps and held a customer donation campaign to benefit a local non-profit social organization. This campaign raised a total of IDR 527 254 930.
In an effort to support victims of cancer and raise public awareness of the issue, Super Indo held a customer donation campaign called ‘Love for Children with Cancer.’ The campaign raised IDR 639 428 200, which was distributed through YKAKI, an Indonesian foundation that provides assistance to children suffering from cancer. Funds benefited ‘Rumah Kita,’ a shelter for children from low-income families who undergo cancer treatments.
Super Indo also has a strong partnership with the World Food Program (WFP) in the fight against malnutrition. We participated in a number of programs, including the WFP’s School Feeding Program, which battles malnutrition by providing fortified biscuits each day to children who attend school. This not only ensures they eat a healthy meal, but also motivates families to make sure their children attend school.
More than 100 associates at Super Indo participated in the 2010 ‘End Hunger: Walk the World’, which was organized in partnership with WFP to raise awareness of hunger issues in Indonesia and raise funds. Our participation in the School Feeding Program is also based on customer donations, which gives us another opportunity for engaging our customers and build stronger relationships with them. In 2010, 5 500 children have benefited in 929 schools from more than IDR 1 billion in donations.
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