SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. – January 22, 2013 – The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) yesterday awarded the 2012 FMI Community Outreach Awards to six food retail companies for the life enriching programs they offered their respective communities in 2012. The award recipients were announced during the FMI Foundation’s 2nd Annual Industry Leadership Dinner at the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference in Phoenix.

“Supermarkets provide more than just food to their communities; they are often a cornerstone of service and a hub of activity addressing neighborhood concerns,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI. “The re-instituted Community Outreach Awards recognize the laudable efforts of those food retailers who saw a need and sought creative means of addressing it – enhancing the life of all within the community.”

The awards were given across the three categories of youth development programs, initiatives addressing food insecurity, and neighborhood health improvements; with two winners – one, a large format retailer and the other a small format retailer - in each of the categories. The following programs were ranked the highest in participation, community need, originality and other judging criteria:

Neighborhood Health Improvement

• Large store retailer – Healthy Kids Summits by Ahold USA in Carlisle, Pa. engages families in the produce aisles with nutrition and exercise information.
• Small store retailer – Beans for Bags by Port Townsend Food Co-op in Townsend, Wash. creates an inventive way to save money, encourage sustainable practices and boost community giving.

Food Insecurity

• Large store retailer – Independence from Hunger by Grocery Outlet, Inc. in Berkeley, Calif. holds companywide activities such as educational sessions and festivals for people facing hunger in their neighborhoods.
• Small store retailer – Franklin Elementary School Nutrition Program by Good Food Store in Missoula, Mont. partners with an elementary school within a food insecure community to deliver groceries to a classroom and provide students with lessons regarding its contents.

Youth Development

• Large store retailer – Hy-Vee Sprouts - Get Out and Grow! by Hy-Vee West Des Moines, Iowa encourages healthier eating in children by teaching them how to grow and prepare their own fresh produce.
• Small store retailer – Growing Food, Growing Health by The Merc Community Market and Deli in Lawrence, Kan. gives student gardeners a farm-to-fork working experience while learning valuable professional skills.

Each award winner received a $1,000 donation from FMI to enhance the program.

For Media:
For program descriptions on each Community Outreach Award winner, click the links above
For full list of award submissions, click here
For images of each award winning program, visit the FMI Flickr feed