Hannaford Supermarkets Director of Operations for Vermont Ben Theriault (second from left) and Regional Community Relations Specialist Brian Fabre (second from right) gather with representatives from three Vermont non-profit organizations which each received a grant from Hannaford as part of the new Hannaford Helps program.
Program provides new Hannaford Helps funding for young people who face barriers to their success in life
VERMONT – Hannaford Supermarkets today announced a donation of $40,000 to Vermont non-profit organizations designed to support local youth development programs through the new Hannaford Helps program.
As part of the Hannaford Helps donation in Vermont, Hannaford will donate $20,000 to the Winooski Family Center in Winooski; $10,000 to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta in South Hero; and $10,000 to The DREAM Program in South Burlington. The funding will be used to support summer camps and youth development programs at each of the non-profits in an effort to position at-risk youth for a bright and successful future.
The Vermont donation is part of an overall $400,000 charitable initiative through Hannaford Helps, which will disperse donations to similar programs throughout Hannaford’s five-state territory in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.
“With these Hannaford Helps contributions we are focusing on the fact that a community is only as strong as its next generation,” said Hannaford Supermarkets President Mike Vail. “We’re really excited about the impact of these donations because of the nature of these organizations. Hannaford is proud to support the work of educators, counselors, coaches and volunteers who are so impressive in their commitment to develop young people in the communities where our associates live and work.”
The Hannaford Helps grants will be distributed to the following non-profit organizations in Vermont:
- Winooski Family Center in Winooski, which provides a safe and nurturing environment where children from birth to school age and their families can receive the support needed to increase understanding of child and adult development. The Center also promotes positive communication while offering children a place to socialize, play, learn, share ideas and grow.
- Camp Ta-Kum Ta in South Hero, a year-round camp that provides challenging, extraordinary experiences in a safe and loving environment for children ages 7 to 17 who currently have or have had cancer.
- The DREAM Program in South Burlington, the largest community-based mentoring organization in Vermont which focuses on developing the strengths of neighborhoods with underserved and geographically-isolated youth populations through various initiatives, including Camp DREAM and summer enrichment programs.
“The Winooski Family Center will use this generous funding to help us to continue to expand the services that we offer to preschool age children and their families over the summer months,” said Karen Bielawski-Branch, Director of the Early Childhood Program at the Winooski Family Center. “Summer preschool sessions, family parenting groups, and family activities that take place in the community are some examples of what will be funded.”
The $400,000 territory-wide Hannaford Helps gift from Hannaford Supermarkets represents a 10 percent increase in the $4 million in funds that the company and its charitable foundation contribute to local charities each year. All of the new money is focused on helping children who face barriers to their success in life.
Hannaford Helps also has set a goal of increasing the amount of meat, produce, bread and other fresh items donated directly from Hannaford stores to community food pantries and meal programs by 20% or 1.5 million meals in 2016. Hannaford donated 14.6 million pounds of rescued food to hunger relief last year.
About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 188 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hannaford employs more than 27,000 associates. Additional information can be found at www.hannaford.com.