May 6, 2019
They say you can’t put a price on a smile.
But what if you could? What if you could tabulate the value of all those happy faces? What if you could total up the worth of everything that went into those grins? What if you could decipher the exchange rate between the joy generated from helping others and the amount of money raised to fight hunger?
Would $1.5 million sound about right?
ShopRite associates raised a record $1.504 million during the 2018 ShopRite Partners In Caring Cheerios contest. In five weeks, store associates held car washes, pasta dinners, round-up-your-change campaigns and other fundraisers to help the cooperative cross the $1.5 million mark for the first time in the program’s history.
Now, those smiling faces are popping up everywhere – including on the back of a commemorative Cheerios box. Each of the top 50 stores in the contest nominated two associates who dedicate their time to fighting hunger and embody the true spirit of ShopRite Partners In Caring; those associates then appear on the Cheerios box.
Last month, several ShopRite stores across New Jersey hosted in-store unveilings of the Cheerios box to celebrate with customers and associates.
ShopRite of Medford was the top fundraising store for the fourth consecutive year. The store collected $51,668.65 in donations. ShopRite stores in Croton-on-Hudson, West Deptford, Glassboro and Yardley rounded out the top five in this year’s contest.
The annual contest once again proved that every penny matters. More than half the money raised during this year’s five-week window came from customers who chose to round up their change to the nearest dollar.
We at the Community Foundation are proud to host the ShopRite Partners in Caring program, which works with more than 50 food industry manufacturers to provide more than $3 million annually to qualified charitable agencies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania . Since its inception in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated $48 million and counting to over 2,200 charities. ShopRite Partners In Caring supports emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, child care centers, battered women’s shelters, senior citizen programs, drug rehab centers, programs for the mentally and physically disabled, after-school programs and other organizations that aid those in need. To learn more, visit www.shopritepartnersincaring.org.