From left to right: Troy High School Principal Joseph Mariano, Jr.; Hannaford Supermarkets Vice President of Retail Operations Todd Bullen; Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York Executive Director Mark Quandt; Hannaford Supermarkets Director of Operations Dennis Martin; and Hannaford Supermarkets Director of Operations Ean Rose.
Hannaford’s Fuel Kids at School program to donate $1 million to support hunger relief efforts at schools in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine
Troy, N.Y. – Hannaford Supermarkets today announced a $296,000 donation to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, which will allow the non-profit organization to establish food pantries in 33 schools throughout New York State.
Designed to serve as a vital and convenient resource to students and families in need while also increasing access to healthy and nutritious food, the in-school pantries are dedicated spaces where students can select food they enjoy based on their preferences and cooking abilities to provide nourishment both during and after the school day.
The donation is one component of an overall $1 million commitment from Hannaford Supermarkets through its new “Fuel Kids at School” program, which is designed to directly address food insecurity and improve access to fresh and healthy food in schools in New York and New England.
“At Hannaford, we strongly believe that our business goes far beyond selling products and that a key component of being ‘greater than groceries’ is investing into the communities we serve. As a community contributor, we have a longstanding commitment to aiding hunger relief in our neighborhoods. This effort often begins at school, where hunger directly impacts a student’s ability to learn, grow and succeed,” said Hannaford Supermarkets Vice President of Retail Operations Todd Bullen. “These food pantries will fulfill a critical need for students and their families. All of us at Hannaford are honored to support the Regional Food Bank’s efforts through this donation as we reaffirm our commitment to nourishing our communities, one child at a time.”
“Our BackPack Program has demonstrated that when elementary school children are properly nourished on weekends, they focus better, have less anxiety, and perform better in school,” said Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York Executive Director Mark Quandt. “A few years ago, we also created the School Pantry Program to address hunger issues at the junior and senior high school levels. We slowly expanded the program until Hannaford awarded us this fabulous grant which will enable us to assist children in 33 more schools. Hannaford continues to find new ways to help our Food Bank feed hungry children and adults throughout eastern New York. We are incredibly grateful for their commitment to the Regional Food Bank and the people we serve.”
The announcement took place today in conjunction with the opening of the new food pantry at Troy High School in Troy, NY. Students will be recommended for access to the pantry by teachers and administrators who witness first-hand their nutritional needs.
In addition to supporting the school’s backpack program, which discreetly provides students in need with bags of nutritious food for times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and schools breaks, the Troy High School food pantry will be accessible to students in need of a snack or other food items during the school day.
“We are very grateful to Hannaford and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York for working with Troy High School to establish this food pantry for our students,” said Troy Central School District Superintendent John Carmello. “Every student in our school receives a free breakfast and lunch while they’re in school, but we know that we still have students who are not getting the proper nutrition they need once they leave our buildings for the night and when school is not in session. This program will help to ensure that even more students get the food they need which will help them to be the best they can be.”
During today’s event, Chef Ric Orlando, who is a member of Hannaford’s Chef Table and the owner of New World Bistro Bar in Albany, NY, taught Troy High School student council members how to utilize products and ingredients commonly found in a food pantry to create a nutritious and well-balanced meal.
The complete list of New York schools to establish in-school food pantries as a result of the nearly $300,000 donation from Hannaford to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York is as follows:
- Albany County: Albany High School in Albany; Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville; and Guilderland High School in Guilderland.
- Clinton County: Plattsburgh High School in Plattsburgh.
- Columbia County: Hudson High School in Hudson.
- Dutchess County: John J. High School in Hopewell Junction; Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls; Pawling High School in Pawling; and Red Hook High School in Red Hook.
- Essex County: Lake Placid High School in Lake Placid.
- Fulton County: Gloversville High School in Gloversville.
- Greene County: Cairo-Durham High School in Cairo.
- Montgomery County: Amsterdam High School in Amsterdam.
- Orange County: Middletown High School in Middletown; Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh; Pine Bush High School in Pine Bush; and Valley Central High School in Montgomery.
- Otsego County: Oneonta High School in Oneonta.
- Rensselaer County: Averill Park High School in Averill Park; Columbia High School in East Greenbush; and Troy High School in Troy.
- Saratoga County: Ballston Spa High School in Ballston Spa; Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs; and South Glens Falls High School in South Glens Falls.
- Schoharie County: Schoharie High School in Schoharie.
- Ulster County: Highland High School in Highland; Kingston High School in Kingston; Onteora High School in Onteora; and Wallkill Senior High School in Wallkill.
- Warren County: Glens Falls High School in Glens Falls; and Queensbury High School in Queensbury.
- Washington County: Greenwich Junior/Senior High School in Greenwich; and Hudson Falls High School in Hudson Falls.
Hannaford Supermarkets has a longstanding commitment to supporting hunger relief in its communities. In 2018, Hannaford donated nearly 26 million pounds of food throughout the Northeast, including 5.3 million pounds in New York; and raised $1.1 million in partnership with its shoppers to feed individuals in need through the annual Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger program. Earlier this month, Hannaford announced that it has donated more than $1 million to non-profits throughout New York and New England as a result of its reusable bag program, a portion of which is dedicated to hunger relief organizations and has funded more than 1.8 million meals to date.
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About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 182 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hannaford employs more than 26,000 associates. Additional information can be found at Hannaford.com.