Ahold Backs a Cornucopia of Causes

Ahold USA's supermarket chains have been busy this fall with a cornucopia of cause programs, including extensive fundraising efforts this month in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.Giant-Carlisle has teamed with three manufacturer partners to raise funds for regional chapters of nonprofit Susan G. Komen for the Cure through product sales, according to a spokesperson. The partners are: General Mills, which pledges a minimum of $30,000. Campbell Soup Co.'s Pepperidge Farm, which promises at least $10,000. Daymon Worldwide, Stamford, CT, the chain's private-label planning and development partner, which pledges $10,000 through sales of Acadia bottled water in pink-wrapped packaging.The chain is also promising five cents from each sale of pink ribbon-adorned shopping bags in Pennsylvania stores to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, which helps provide free treatment to uninsured women. Sales of bags outside of the state will benefit local Komen chapters.In stores, products supporting the cause are merchandised in dedicated areas and identified at the shelf with tags carrying Komen's "Shop for the Cure" slogan, according to the spokesperson. Circular features spotlight supporting SKUs with pink ribbons.Meanwhile, Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover are promising $3 to Komen for each $20 purchase of various General Mills products. Participating shoppers get $3 off a future receipt at Stop & Shop and bonus Gas Rewards points at Giant-Landover. (See Images at right.) Giant-Landover additionally is soliciting donations for the American Institute for Cancer Research.All three chains also tied into Procter & Gamble's "Give Hope" campaign (see "P&G brandSaver: Sept. 26, 2010" in Related Articles) by offering $10 Visa prepaid cards by mail with $35 purchases.Among other recent cause efforts, Giant-Carlisle and Stop & Shop joined with Unilever to raise up to $150,000 for nonprofit Feeding America during "Hunger Action Month" in September. Giant-Carlisle promised $3 off a future receipt with a $15 purchase of Unilever SKUs from Sept. 5-11, while Stop & Shop dangled $4 instantly from Sept. 10-16; Unilever promised a food or monetary donation with each qualifying purchase.Additional fundraising efforts with Unilever included: in-store "Popsicle parties," during which the product was sold for $1 with all proceeds going to the cause. "fill-a-truck" events at some stores that collected food purchased by shoppers for donation to local organizations. Unilever promised to match the donations (up to $6,100 for each store event). partnerships with the radio networks of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees through which Unilever pledged 100 pounds of food to area food banks for every strikeout gained by the teams' pitchers during the month.All three chains also tied into Kraft Foods' "Huddle to Fight Hunger" campaign (see "FSI Report: Aug. 22, 2010") by offering $5 off the purchase of $20 in Kraft SKUs and corresponding donations to Feeding America. Dedicated endcaps and shelf signs supported. Giant-Carlisle additionally invited shoppers to make checkout donations for its own "Bag Hunger" campaign (see "Ahold USA Field Report: April 26, 2010") in exchange for a Kraft coupon booklet carrying $10 in offers.Elsewhere, Giant-Carlisle supported the national "Produce For Kids" program (see "Produce for Kids, PBS ...") by teaming with fruit and vegetable growers to make sales-based donations to Children's Miracle Network through Oct. 28. Participating brands include Del Monte, Dole, Earthbound Farm, Chiquita Brands' Fresh Express, Fruit2Day, General Mills' Green Giant, private-label Nature's Promise and Red Diamond. Circular features support. (The chain was recently awarded a "Golden Grocer Award" from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in recognition of its hunger-relief and heatlhy-eating efforts.)In related activity, Ahold launched a company-wide "Passport to Nutrition" educational program in September. The online effort targets children with lessons, games, videos and downloadable songs that promote healthy eating. Giant-Carlisle invites kids to "Get your Passport to Nutrition" directly from its home page, while Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover provide links under their "Living Well" tabs. Sister chain Martin's also is offering "Kid Healthy Ideas" school field trips in 15 stores through a partnership with Field Trip Factory, Chicago.Giant-Carlisle also recently used its home page to promote a "Cash for Causes" program that lets registered nonprofits buy store gift cards at a 5% discount, then resell them at full price to raise funds.Finally, the annual "Stop & Shop-Giant Family Foundation Golf Classic," held at four courses in Massachusetts on Aug. 30, raised approximately $1 million for local charities.

Ahold Backs a Cornucopia of Causes

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