WASHINGTON, DC — December 19, 2005 — The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) seeks entries for the 2006 Neighborhood Partnership Awards, which recognize the outstanding leadership of food retailers and wholesalers for their community-based initiatives.
     

Now in its 10th year, the awards program recognizes FMI member companies that demonstrate a positive impact on their communities in the areas of health and wellness, hunger relief, urban economic development and youth development.
     

“Supermarkets meet the needs of their communities by organizing food drives, collecting money for charities, coordinating mentoring programs and designing health and nutrition programs,” said Todd Turner, FMI vice president of membership and urban affairs. “The Neighborhood Partnership Awards spotlight companies for their goodwill and innovation.”   
     

Six winners will be recognized for their community enhancing programs. One winner will be named in each of the following categories: 1-9 stores, 10-29 stores, 30-99 stores, 100-299 stores, 300+ stores and wholesalers.
     

Each winner will receive $1,000 to enhance their program, a plaque recognizing their achievement, a program profile on the FMI Web site and mention in the FMI dailyLead.

A panel of independent judges will make award selections based on the following criteria:

• Corporate Participation — how closely involved the company’s associates are with the program.




• Community Need — how prevalent the need for the program is in the community.




• Reach of Program — how broad or how specific the coverage of the program is, or how many are served.




• Length of Program — how long the program runs.




• Amount of Contribution — how much the program contributes to the community.




• Originality — how unique the concept is in meeting a community need.

To apply, visit www.fmi.org/community/ or contact Nadine Bartholomew at 202-220-0664 or nbartholomew@fmi.org.