People In Need, Inc. of Delaware County Ohio (PIN) is proud to renew its partnership with Meijer to provide much-needed relief to local families facing food insecurity. Meijer’s Simply Give program for the fall season is set to run through Oct. 1.
Special opportunities this fall include two Double Match Days with the Meijer located at 1380 Sunbury Road in Delaware. Today, Aug. 13, as well as Saturday, Sept. 10, anyone who purchases a Simply Give donation card at checkout will have their contribution double matched, effectively tripling their gift to fight food insecurity.
“This is certainly an exciting time for us at PIN to work with our friends at Meijer once again. They have been a dedicated supporter of ours for some time now, and their commitment to fighting food insecurity in the communities they serve is remarkable. Last season, the Simply Give program resulted in more than $11,000 of direct support for our food pantry,” said Kathy Hoff, PIN’s executive director.
The service numbers from PIN show that the need in Delaware County has not slowed down. In the first half of the year, participation in food insecurity programs were up 8% over 2021. Food costs have been impacting operations as well.
“In all of 2021, we spent about $43,000 on food. This was mostly for nonperishable staples such as canned vegetables and pasta, which became increasingly difficult to have donated or find through other avenues. As of June 30 this year, PIN spent almost $51,000 on those same items,” Hoff added. “The additional support we’ve received from Meijer has been a relief from this expense, made possible by our community’s willingness to make a Simply Give purchase at checkout. This truly helps us fulfill our mission to provide proper, balanced nutrition to our neighbors.”
Each Meijer Simply Give campaign replenishes the shelves of more than 250 food pantries in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The program encourages customers to purchase $10 Simply Give donation cards, which are then converted into Meijer food-only gift cards and given to a local food pantry in the store’s community. Since the program began in November 2008, more than $73 million has been generated for food pantries in the Midwest to distribute to its neighbors in need.
“The Simply Give program is a way for Meijer customers to partner with us and support the food banks and pantries that feed families in need in their own communities,” said Cathy Cooper, senior director of community partnerships and giving for Meijer. “We certainly couldn’t do it without the support and commitment of our generous customers and team members, who stand beside us in this effort.”
PIN is a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) social services agency dedicated to providing emergency assistance to Delaware County residents. For more information on the services provided by PIN, visit DelawarePeopleInNeed.org.
