By: Rick Tibbetts, Communications Specialist, FMI
The COVID-19 pandemic posed a particularly difficult challenge to those on the frontlines of fighting food insecurity. Mask mandates, social distancing measures and a general anxiety about interacting physically with other people served as barriers to the very tactile work of providing food aid to those in need. However, the food industry was undeterred by these barriers, opting to innovate and expand its efforts to combat hunger rather than remain idle in a time of national tragedy.
For example, one of FMI’s 2021 Community Uplift Awards winners, Hy-Vee, offers a glowing case study on how to maximize resources and organizational partnerships to nourish the communities it calls home. From September 2021 through July 2021, Hy-Vee deployed five impactful programs to address food insecurity, each one delivering much-needed meals to hungry consumers at critical times of the year.
National Family Meals Month (September 2020)
Hy-Vee manifested the spirit of National Families Meals Month – which promotes the wide-ranging benefits of coming together with family at mealtimes – by giving away 500 meal kits that serve a household of four to six people to approximately 2,000 families.
Feed the Need (November 2020)
Though most Americans gather around the dinner table for a mighty feast on Thanksgiving, some lack the resources to assemble such a meal. That’s why Hy-Vee provided them to 80,000 people in underserved communities for free.
Truckloads of Food for the Holidays (December 2020)
Working with dozens of national and regional food manufacturers and suppliers, Hy-Vee donated nearly 1 million pounds of food and supplies – more than 20 truckloads – to 17 Feeding America-affiliated food banks across its eight-state region for the holiday season.
Hams for the Holidays (March 2021)
Hy-Vee hosted a ham giveaway in 14 cities throughout eight states, where Hy-Vee employees, alongside local law enforcement, fire fighters and EMS workers, handed out 5,000 Hormel® Cure 81® hams to families in need.
End Summer Hunger (July 2021)
Hy-Vee saw a glaring gap in the National School Lunch Program. During the school year, 22 million children have access to free or reduced-cost meals at school, but less than 4 million kids receive similar meals through USDA Summer Food Service Programs, leaving 18 million children without reliable meals throughout the summer months. This year, Hy-Vee donated 1 million meals to help fill the gap.
These five programs are only a small sample of the smorgasbord of good deeds Hy-Vee carries out on a yearly basis. The midwestern grocer’s outsized dedication to keeping its communities fed reflects the service-based values that the company – and the entire food industry – hold dear. Community support is central to Hy-Vee’s success, and the company earns that support every day by actively engaging with its community members and making sure their taken care of.
All members of the FMI family offer our sincerest congratulations to Hy-Vee for taking home the gold in the Food Insecurity Programs category of this year’s Community Uplift Awards. Visit our website to learn more about Hy-Vee’s outstanding efforts. Also, check out the full list of Community Uplift Awards nominees and their benevolent programs.
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