NEWS RELEASES / 6/30/2022
Schnucks Gives $15,000 To Operation Food Search’s MetroMarket Program
Schnucks Gives $15,000 To Operation Food Search’s MetroMarket Program
Donation to help non-profit organization’s mobile grocery store serve St. Louis food deserts
ST. LOUIS, June 30, 2022 – Schnuck Markets, Inc. has donated $15,000 to Operation Food Search (OFS) to help the nonprofit organization’s MetroMarket get fresh produce to underserved areas of St. Louis. MetroMarket, a mobile grocery store that brings healthy and affordable food to St. Louis food desert communities, was founded in 2016 and travels to communities with little access to fresh, healthy food. The bus operates every Wednesday through Saturday, April through November, making two-hour stops at designated partner locations.
Schnucks’ donation will be used by OFS to distribute 2,000, $5 fresh produce vouchers to members and patients of four area organizations (500 vouchers to each) that can then be redeemed at the MetroMarket mobile grocer:
- Affinia Healthcare (Lemp Avenue)
- Affinia Healthcare (Biddle Street)
- CareSTL Health
- International Institute of St. Louis
An additional $5,000 will enable the MetroMarket to make five weekend flex stops at additional community sites.
“This most recent contribution from Schnuck Markets shows how our partnership continues to evolve,” said Kristen Wild, president and CEO of Operation Food Search. “Schnucks not only supports our legacy programs that help meet the immediate need for food, but they also strengthen our innovative programs, such as St. Louis MetroMarket. These vouchers will empower shoppers with little access to fresh produce to purchase greater amounts of healthy food at our mobile market.”
Schnucks’ partnership with OFS goes back more than 40 years, and in that time, Schnucks has donated more than $185 million worth of food to support the non-profit organization and its partner food pantries. Fifty-three percent of all food donated to OFS is donated by Schnucks, making the regional grocer the organization’s largest contributor.
“At Schnucks, we feel it’s our obligation to support our communities by helping to fight food insecurity and hunger in the regions we serve, and our biggest partner in this endeavor in the St. Louis area is Operation Food Search,” said Schnucks Director of Community Engagement and Customer Care Schron Jackson. “Our mission to nourish people’s lives goes well beyond the food that we sell in our stores. We are also committed to making sure those most in need have fresh, nutritious sustenance for themselves and their families.”
About Schnucks
Founded in St. Louis in 1939, Schnuck Markets, Inc. is a third and fourth generation, family-owned grocery retailer committed to nourishing people’s lives. Schnucks operates 112 stores, serving customers in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and employs 12,000 teammates. According to Forbes’ 2021 rankings, Schnucks is the 160th largest privately-owned company in the United States and the 15th largest privately-owned grocer. Schnucks is committed to helping communities thrive and as a champion for reducing hunger, the company annually donates more than $13 million in food to pantries that help those in need.
About Operation Food Search
Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides free food, nutrition education and innovative programs proven to reduce food insecurity. With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families and increases access to healthy and affordable food. The agency provides food and services to 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of whom are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 27 Missouri and Illinois counties.
###
