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PDP has been embraced by associates, the community and management, she continues, noting that the total amount of food donated through the program in Colorado translates to 3,550 meals a day. “Many people can’t afford fresh produce. While the donated items may not be to the standards we sell, they are still edible, nutritious, good quality fruits and veg- etables,” she says.
Adds Marmer: “We knew it was going to be a powerful combination; it was just getting it right so we could have it run on auto pilot in
each place, while adjusting to variances on a store-by-store basis. That really has come about because of the belief and the dedication of our own store associates and store managers.”
Charitable programs envelop the Kroger culture, according to Bill Dankworth, vice pres- ident of grocery merchandising, and point person for Bringing Hope to the Table, an annual merchandising-driven program that gives back to charity. Essentially, the way Bring- ing Hope to the Table works is that Kroger collects money earmarked in trade funds from
select suppliers in exchange for guaranteeing quality promotion and merchandising of their brands, he explains. In turn, Kroger donates that equivalent amount of money to local food banks in the communities that Kroger operates, while Feeding America also gets a portion.
Since its launch seven years ago, the size of the program and amount of money donated has stayed constant — $4 million cash value, or $3 million in cash each year and $1 million in product.
“We select 30 suppliers, not because we don’t want the additional dollars, but we could not give quality merchandising if the space got too crowded. Also, since it is a merchandising event, we have to focus on items most relevant for our customers,” he says, adding, “We’re doing this for an altruistic reason, so look for ways to make it a better program.”
A new door may open for produce com- panies. “Bringing Hope to the Table is almost 100 percent grocery right now, but we encourage the idea of extending it to perish- able categories like produce, meat and deli because these are areas of the store not used yet,” says Dankworth.
“We would love to have produce companies participate and get our store counterparts involved.” It’s much easier to do a UPC-coded product than it is to do a stalk of romaine let- tuce, he points out, but there are plenty of UPC-coded items now in the produce depart- ment, including bagged salads and dried fruits and nuts that are incredibly nutritious.
“Food is a point of entry for providing hope to people who have lost jobs or are struggling,” Dankworth continues. “First of all, we have to take care of people nutritionally and start to move them into more paths of self reliance. And because we’re a food company, that fits very nicely with our core business and our mis- sion to fight hunger in America as our Number One charitable platform.”
At the corporate level, Kroger champions three major causes: Hunger — Bringing Hope to the Table; Breast Cancer — Giving Hope a Hand; and this year, it has added a new part- nership to support the fundraising of USO’s — Honor our Heroes.
According to Ausdenmoore, while these are national priorities, the execution still happens at the local level. That money is actually allo- cated out to the divisions, so when a check is issued from the Kroger Foundation, it is going to a King Soopers, for example, and the local divisions drive how these funds are allocated.
The same thing applies to Kroger’s disaster- relief efforts. In fact, during an early March visit by PRODUCE BUSINESS editorial staff to Cincin-
34 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MAY 2012