ShopRite of Christina Crossing Shoppers will benefit from a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Insecurity and Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant
Wilmington, DE (September 2017) – Nutrition assistance customers at the ShopRite of Christina Crossing will be able to enjoy more fresh fruits and vegetables thanks to a federal grant of $45,000 awarded to the Kenny Family Foundation, the charitable arm of the Kenny Family ShopRite stores.
The grant is one of 32 awards – from a national funding pot of $16.7 million – given by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to local, state and national organizations to support programs that use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The program, to be rolled out at ShopRite of Christina Crossing in September, allows SNAP beneficiaries to receive a $2 fresh fruit and vegetable voucher for every $5 they spend (with up to $10 a week awarded). The SNAP beneficiaries receive the vouchers in the form of a coupon at the time of checkout, according to Cassandra Umile, RD, LDN, at the ShopRite of Christina Crossing.
Ms. Umile, who has been a ShopRite Registered Dietitian for over a year, applied for the grant on behalf of the Kenny Family Foundation.
“We thank Ms. Umile for all her hard work and tireless efforts that enabled the Kenny Family Foundation to receive this grant,” said Melissa Kenny, Director of Sales and Marketing of Kenny Family ShopRite stores. “As a direct result of this grant, hundreds of people will be adding necessary fruits and vegetables to their diets. I believe this is just the beginning, we hope to expand and begin additional initiatives to help people eat well and be happy.”
The grant money will also be used toward cooking demonstrations and recipe hand-outs for customers, according to Ms. Umile. In addition, Ms. Umile will conduct free healthy eating store tours at ShopRite of Christina Crossing.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to increase fresh produce consumption and make it more available to our customers at ShopRite of Christina Crossing,” said Ms. Umile.
Established under the 2014 Farm Bill, the USDA’s FINI Grant is an overall effort to promote better health through the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
For more information about the grant, visit: https://nifa.usda.gov/program/food-insecurity-nutrition-incentive-fini-grant-program.
For information contact:
Marla Cukor-Camins
Wakefern Food Corp./ShopRite
(732) 906-5032
Marla.Cukor-Camins@wakefern.com
###
About ShopRite
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With more than 270 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than six million customers each week. A long-time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite has donated $40 million to 2,000 worthy charities and food banks since the program began in 1999. As a title sponsor of the LPGA’s ShopRite Classic, ShopRite has raised more than $30 million for local organizations, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.shoprite.com.
About The Kenny Family Foundation
The Kenny Family Foundation unites philanthropy and the power of partnerships to create greater equity and opportunity in New Castle County, Delaware. Our emphasis on promoting social welfare, providing assistance to our neighbors in need and contributing to humanitarian endeavors is carried out through the support we provide to our community’s non-profit organizations. For more information, please visit, https://www.kffde.org/.
